Into the Sublime

May 30, 2022
Seventeen-year-old cued-white Amelie Desmarais and her cousin Sasha were members of Dissent, an “elite gathering of thrill seekers,” until a tragic accident left Sasha in a coma. The pair had dreamed of locating the Sublime, an underground Colorado lake rumored to change “something important for those who dare to seek.” To honor Sasha, Amelie recruits three ex-members of the disbanded Dissent to aid in her search for the Sublime—horror-loving Korean H, levelheaded cued-white Devon, and high-achieving Latinx-cued Gia. Though they barely know each other, and they all harbor their own hidden agendas for joining the dangerous excursion, the group enters the winding subterranean cave system where the lake is said to dwell. But at journey’s end, only three girls return, two of whom are hospitalized. A blood-covered Amelie is questioned about the expedition as well as the missing girl by increasingly skeptical local Deputy Vargas. Amelie’s pieced-together account expertly sows distrust in her traveling companions and their story, painting Amelie as a persuasive, if unreliable, narrator. Boorman’s (What We Burned) labyrinthine prose and narrative structure, skillfully fleshed-out characters, and fast-paced plot make for a terrifying and enticing summer read. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

July 1, 2022

Gr 9 Up-A quartet of strangers who meet through an anonymous thrill-seeking club go exploring into a dark and perilous cave rumored to be haunted by an immortal murderous witch to face their deepest fears. The cast of characters includes the unreliable narrator, 17-year-old white Amelie, who is joined by H who is Korean, Devon who is white, and Gia who is Latina and just celebrated her quincea�era. As they descend into danger, the four teenage girls start to question one another's motivations for coming on the trip and whatever trust they had formed begins to deteriorate quickly. Each of the multifaceted characters has complicated reasons for their suspicious actions, all stemming from difficulty dealing with typical adolescent feelings around handling pressure and stress, seeking attention, and worrying what other people think. Heart-pounding action sequences keep the pages turning quickly and the vivid setting immerses readers inside the damp darkness believed to house paranormal monsters. The suspenseful story is told in multiple threads through flashbacks which results in secrets being uncovered through more of a slow reveal rather than a twist ending. VERDICT Fans of atmospheric and psychological survival novels will race to the end of this horrific nonlinear adventure.-Carrie Shaurette

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July 1, 2022
Grades 9-12 To what lengths would you go to change your past? For Amelie and her companions, it's an easy choice to venture into dangerous subterranean caverns in search of an underground lake called "the Sublime." Local folklore has it that anyone who finds the Sublime undergoes profound changes that provide clarity and perhaps even bend reality to the will of the seeker. Unfortunately, those who look for this lake have a bad habit of turning up dead. Nevertheless, Amelie must find it--if not for herself, then for her cousin Sasha, whom Amelie abandoned in an hour of need. But can she trust the other explorers traveling with her? Are any of them prepared for the dangers that lurk in the darkness? Boorman's claustrophobic book keeps the tension high as the POV bounces between Amelie and the experiences of the officers investigating the aftermath of the girls' expedition. Rather than being an action story, this has a psychological conceit, exploring the trauma-filled pasts of the girls venturing underground. A well-constructed thriller that explores guilt, identity, and authenticity.

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Starred review from May 1, 2022
Four teen girls embark on a thrill-seeking quest that goes horribly wrong. The story starts at the end, at the very point of rescue, when the survivors are exhausted, injured, and barely intelligible. One girl is missing, two are taken to the hospital, and Deputy Vargas stays behind with Amelie, the one who will tell their story from the beginning, the one who is covered in blood--but not her own. Amelie, Devon, H, and Gia got together to explore an underground cave system that local legend says contains the Sublime, a subterranean lake with mystical powers that can change something important for those who find it--and who are willing to face their greatest fears. The four barely know each other beyond having met at Dissent, a group for those seeking extreme challenges, and each one harbors a secret reason of her own for hoping to find the Sublime. Amelie's ostensible excuse is a commitment to her late cousin--but is her account reliable? The more she gets into the tale of their misadventure, the more Vargas questions whether what she is hearing is the truth. This disorienting, claustrophobic, and genuinely frightening thriller follows the four girls as they descend into the darkness. With well-developed, sympathetic characters, a taut plot, and an unreliable narrator, the novel straddles the line between mystical and psychological horror to keep readers guessing to the end. Amelie and Devon are assumed White, H is Korean, and Gia is coded Latinx. A sublimely scary thriller. (Thriller. 14-18)

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