Deep Water

Gr 9 Up–A violence-filled revenge fantasy against bullies. Vesper, who is mourning the death of her mother from cancer, thinks she’s going on a fun cruise for teens, but it’s actually No Exit, a troubled teen program for bullies where not all make it out alive. She bonds with her roommate Gwen, who is blind, as they try to survive the program. While the book is a quick, easy read, this is not typical teen thriller fare. All the teens did horrible things to others and now face that same treatment, including physical violence, by program staff in a Karma phase (e.g., one bully cut up someone’s belongings, so workers destroy attendees’ personal items, then tell everyone who is “responsible”) that’s followed by a Confrontation phase (allowing those who were bullied to confront their bullies). It lacks any therapy or meaningful support to change their behavior, and the plot moves without real introspection or larger exploration of the actual troubled teen industry, which is rife with abuse. There are frequent references to violence and suicide; one attendee goes by the moniker Jumper, after the person he bullied died by suicide by jumping off a bridge, and the bullying of a transgender teen is described in detail. Diary entries from an unnamed person with redacted sections break up the main narrative, which shifts three-quarters of the way in; this seems intriguing, though poor pacing and lack of full character development hamper the novel, as do plot holes. Characters’ race is not stated; physical description is largely limited to hair color. Limited bullying and suicide resources are appended.