Book Review – The Same Deep Water As You by Chad Lutzke

Title: The Same Deep Water As You

Author: Chad Lutzke

Edition: Paperback

Page Count: 82 pages

Rating: 4.5 / 5 ✨✨✨✨✨

Short Summary:

Music, beer, skateboarding, and tragedy star in this coming-of-age lesson on love and lust and the line that divides them, as 19-year-old Jex experiences a life that meets River’s Edge and Kids with Dazed & Confused––a parentless indie yarn with the dark heart Lutzke is known for.

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I’m no stranger to Chad Lutzke’s writing, but each time I read something new of his, I’m blown away. His horror is usually extremely emotional and impactful, and while this little novella doesn’t have the same elements of “horror” that some of his other works do, the emotional punch is just as gutting.

It feels like it was written about the author’s own past, as if he were relating a totally factual story that had happened to him years before. I don’t know if any of it is based on fact, but it just goes to show how great his storytelling is that I feel as if I could be sitting next to a friend with a drink, hearing all of this from his point of view.

Lutzke’s writing is haunting and nostalgic, creating an atmosphere tinged with the sort of lens flares and fade out effects you’d expect from a disposable camera in the early 90s. The story is told from the perspective of 19-year-old Jex, who is very relatable. All the characters are developed and realistic, and some reminded me of other kids I’d known in high school. I loved how perfect Lutzke’s depiction of kids from this age was – this would especially work as a short film, the disillusioned youth thing working alongside an amazing soundtrack curated by Lutzke himself.

Throughout the story are also little photographs, which I liked – it’s fun having different things in a book for me, and little extra stuff like this is really cool. Speaking of cool, the cover is also one of my favorites of the entire year so far – how gorgeous is the artwork? It’s ghostly and beautiful and ethereal, very much like Lutzke’s story itself. Very fitting!

Definitely check this one out, or any of Lutzke’s other books! He’s got such a talent for creating raw, heartbreaking stories, and I’m keeping him on my insta-buy list for sure.