Into the Sublime

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 Buried) 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)