Small sea shells tucked beneath the damp, ocean-kissed sand leave microscopic lacerations in Kidd’s heels as Devon violently thrashes his body across the beach. He’s made aware of their painful presence as soon as they are dragged into the salty water.
Vehemently crashing waves pull them into the depths of the ocean, fighting against each other with rage-fueled strength; the driving force keeping them submerged. They both will themselves to keep fighting, but the water occupying their lungs inhabits them permanently beneath the shore.
The narrative above illustrates Kidd and Devon’s perplexing relationship. This scene, and many mirroring it, make up Matt De la Peña’s brilliantly crafted novel, I Will Save You.
Kidd, the teenage narrator and protagonist of this story, is consumed by the excessive amount of trauma he has endured throughout his childhood and adolescence. His reaction to these events landed him in Horizons, a mental rehabilitation center.
Here, Kidd meets Devon, an impulsive, death-driven, and morally questionable teenager. Devon follows Kidd in his escape from Horizons, taking his dangerous tendencies with him.
It is impossible to argue that Kidd and Devon’s relationship is not skillfully written. However, De la Pena’s hyper-accurate, sensitive, and artistic depiction of mental illness is where his true genius shines.
The basis of this novel is focused on Kidd’s struggle with post traumatic stress. Specifically, his struggle with Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID. DID is a reaction to trauma in which a person develops multiple distinct personalities.
His battle with DID makes him an unreliable narrator. This component of the story leaves readers on the edge of their seat, as it is almost impossible to predict if a character is real, or an extension of Kidd’s personality disorder.
Frequently, authors tackling these complex issues are quick to make stereotypical assumptions about things they themselves have never experienced, leading to their writing coming off as ignorant.
An interview conducted by Colorin Colorado in 2022 exposes De la Pena’s process, and how he avoids the fatal mistake of ignorance. In this interview, he expresses, “it is crucial for any author to research. It becomes increasingly important when the topic is a sensitive one.”
He goes on to share that while writing I Will Save You, he read a lot of psychological journals on the effects of post traumatic stress and DID; two of Kidd’s character defining struggles.
His connection to his characters, and convincing representation of DID come from his proactive research approach, and dedication to the pursuit of knowledge. This unique collection of story-telling strategies bring’s De la Pena’s novel, I Will Save You, to life.
