The Depths

Utilizing the mystery, allure, and beauty of a tropical island paradise, Lesperance (The Wide Starlight) deftly cultivates a menacing tale with a hint of horror. Seventeen-year-old Addie is on track to be one of the country’s best women free divers until an accident, which renders her dead for eight and a half minutes, derails her plans. Afraid to leave Addie home alone, her mother forces Addie to accompany her and her new stepfather on their honeymoon to Eulalia Island. Despite the awkwardness and relative isolation, she soon befriends 15-year-old Billy and his older brother, Sean, sons of the island’s caretakers. As Addie explores the environment, strange things begin occurring; birds literally call her name, and flora change color and inexplicably bloom in places where Addie’s blood drips from a cut on her leg. Addie immerses herself in the island’s history while growing closer to Sean, but as the bizarre events increase in frequency, she worries that she might not leave this tropical getaway alive. With florid literary flair and a keen attention to detail, Lesperance offers unique twists on well-loved supernatural tropes while compassionately exploring friendship founded on shared trauma and Addie’s search for herself beyond diving. Characters present as white. Ages 14–up. (Sept.)