DEPTH OF FIELD

A teen seeks a wild adventure after encountering heartbreak.

Alberta 12th grader Josh’s comfortable relationship with his girlfriend, Lian, comes to an abrupt end when he sees her kissing Noel, a stoner rich kid, violent bully, and all-around entitled manipulator. When Lian blames her cheating on Josh’s being boring, predictable, and uninterested in supporting her love of photography, he decides to prove her wrong. Instead of choosing a safe field of flowers for his school photography project, Josh decides to go off the trail, searching for a wild bear and her cubs. Directionally challenged and unprepared for a rugged hike, Josh heads off into the wilds of the Rockies and encounters something far more dangerous than bears, putting his life in danger. In his behavior and inner monologue, Josh reads as much younger than his years. The interactions he has with Baba and Dad, his fathers, and Mx. Mitchell, his photography teacher, convey positive advice and strong themes of family and empathy, but they are unsubtly presented as life lessons for readers to digest. The dramatic scenes lack tension but are easy to follow and visualize, and the characters’ conversations sound realistic and mostly flow well. Josh has brown skin, and his fathers are South Asian and Black. Noel seems to be White by default; Lian’s name cues Chinese heritage, and Mx. Mitchell uses they/them pronouns.

A wilderness thriller for reluctant readers that doesn’t live up to its intriguing premise.