DEEP WATER

Expecting to go on a luxury cruise, troubled teens instead find themselves trapped in a program to rehabilitate bullies in this translated Dutch import.

Vesper is looking forward to a 10-day voyage at sea, hoping to reset and get away from the stresses of home. However, she soon discovers that this isn’t a relaxing vacation. Rather, it’s No Exit, a program to reform bullies. Vesper and the others on board confront extreme challenges unlike anything they’ve experienced before—and their survival isn’t guaranteed. This fairly short, fast-paced read alternates between Vesper’s perspective and diary entries written by an unnamed bullying victim with details redacted, enhancing the sense of mystery. Given that the book centers on a cast of bullies who turn on one another with hateful speech and actions, the characters are challenging to spend time with. Stoffels tackles sensitive topics, such as suicide, but due to the minimal character development (few details are given about their backgrounds or inner lives, making it hard to connect with them) these elements come across as providing more shock value than psychological insight. Although the story is primarily told from Vesper’s perspective, readers will likely be left curious to learn more about the catalyst for her being sent to No Exit. Some characters’ backstories are not only morally gray but extreme in their violence. Characters largely present white.

A quick-moving thriller let down by surface-level characterization.