It quickly becomes clear from the context of his narration, however, that he is referring to himself and not to some external “you” reading the novel.

The story begins on a disorienting and disconnected note, as Caden immediately addresses the reader. Shusterman, Challenger Deep, Loc 299 (.MOBI e-book). You’ve learned, however, that sending your thoughts to China is not always a good thing.

And yet, while it’s five in the morning here, it’s also five in the evening somewhere in China-proving that incompatible truths make perfect sense when seen with global perspective. You know this, because there’s a battery-powered clock on your bedroom wall that ticks so loudly you sometimes have to smother it with a pillow. Third, Shusterman presents Caden’s delusions as an entire world unto itself that Caden inhabits, which I refer to as “the ship,” and Caden’s mental clarity in this delusional world of the ship presents a stark contrast to his instability in the real world, and the disease punishes him for this clarity on the ship.Įven when Caden is in the real world, the narrator of the story, which is always Caden, takes a step out of himself and expresses thoughts in second person rather than first, beginning at the very start of the story. Second, Shusterman uses Caden’s unreliable thoughts and feelings against him to diminish Caden’s connection to the “real world.” I use the term “real world” to denote the portion of the narrative set in Caden’s normal life with his parents and sister. First, Shusterman uses point of view changes from first to second to highlight times when Caden is completely disconnected from his own mind. To capture the shifting perceptions and mental alacrity of Caden, Shusterman employs a number of techniques, and only a few of the many complex methods of externalizing Caden’s internal struggle are discussed below. Although Caden moves through the world around him, whether it is school, home, and eventually a mental hospital, the heavy lifting of the story occurs in his mind. Caden suffers from deep anxiety, paranoia, auditory hallucinations and eventually, fully immersive delusions. The entire novel is presented from the point of view of Caden Bosch, a fifteen year-old boy who is slowly disconnecting from and then eventually reconnecting to his surroundings.

Challenger Deep, a young adult novel by Neal Shusterman, tackles the complex reality of being a schizophrenic (or schizoaffective – it is not made entirely clear in the story) teenager.

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