Note: This is a review I posted in Goodreads a few years ago. It is worth repeating here because I think this is one of Neal Shusterman's best works.
To write a story from the point of view of a brain scrambled by a biochemical imbalance, and to make it feel authentic, requires a great deal of skill and creativity. Shusterman has both. Reading Challenger Deep put me in an alternate state of mind and brilliantly navigated my "healthy" brain through the horrible fun-house that people with mental illness endure until a dedicated person or institution can rescue them.
Exceedingly well written with some unforgettable passages. If you can hang in with this wild ride to the end, you will find it immensely satisfying in a way that you may not immediately be able to express. And that is a good thing and a sign of an exceptional book.
4.8/5 Stars