Review: The Cartographers

CW: suicidal ideation

Ocean Wu struggles with mental health after high school graduation. She decides to take a gap year, without telling her mother, where she takes a room in an apartment with Georgie, a budding comedian, and Tashya, a concert pianist. The three soon become close, but Ocean finds herself abandoned one night and meets Constantine, a philosophy student, as the lights of the city go out. Ocean and Constantine’s relationship waxes and wanes over the course of the story as they meet in the dark of night and converse through GoogleDocs.

The story is well-written and flows easily from one episode to the next. The characters are interesting. I enjoyed Ocean’s transformation over the course of the story, from a teen riddled with self-doubt to a young adult who knows she is capable of making decisions to move her life forward.

Early on in the story, Ocean reflects that she began feeling unmoored once she was accepted to college. I have seen this several times in my career. I would have liked to see a deeper exploration of that connection, but maybe that is for a different story. The suicidal ideation throughout much of the book might be too much for some sensitive individuals.

This book is great for those who like stories with a philosophical bent (exploring big questions such as what is real?) or strong female characters who make their own way in the world.

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children’s Books, and author Amy Zhang for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are my own.