Going Under

by Kathe Koja

Because all my life had been a chrysalis, with you, Ada and Marshall and our house; even though we did other things and saw other people, the summers at the lake, and all those homeschoolers' parties, it was still always just – us. Hilly and her brother, Ivan, have been homeschooled by their parents. All their lives it has been just the two of them – Ivan and Hilly, brother and sister, pilot and copilot. Until Hilly breaks out of their cozy cocoon to work on the local high school literary magazine as an extracurricular activity. Ivan feels it's no longer just the two of them. And when Hilly goes into a depression after the suicide of a friend she has made at the magazine, she drifts even further away from Ivan. Hilly's parents insist that she see a psychotherapist. Ivan steps in to help manage Hilly's recovery by taking her to and from her appointments but compounds the betrayal by establishing his own relationship with the manipulative therapist. Through the alternating voices of Hilly and Ivan, and drawing on the myths of Persephone and Narcissus, Kathe Koja explores the souls of two teenagers caught in a world where love takes you deeper than you ever dreamed you'd go.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Mythology

120 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Kathe Koja is a writer, director and independent producer of live and virtual events. Her work combines and plays with genres, from horror to YA to historical to weird, in books like THE CIPHER, VELOCITIES, BUDDHA BOY, UNDER THE POPPY, and CATHERINE THE GHOST.

Her ongoing project is the world of DARK FACTORY https://darkfactory.club/ continuing in DARK PARK, with DARK MATTER coming out in December 2025.

She's a Detroit native, animal rights supporter, supporter of democracy, and huge fan of Emily Bronte.

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was like...a sketch of something that could have been really great. Instead it was disjointed, unfocused, with characters lacking motivation and explanation; plot events never really coming together. Nothing hinged, nothing stuck -- loose threads everywhere and none interesting enough to want to tie on your own.

I really don't like young adult fiction, I'm realizing, and I wish Kathe Koja had told this story as one of her adult books...I think it's too raw and too much for the YA shelves, and the consequent paring down ruined any impact it could've had. So: meh. 1.5 stars.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

GOING UNDER by Kathe Koja explores the psychological angles of a faltering brother/sister relationship. Hilly and Ivan have always been close. Raised by what Hilly calls "semi-useless" parents, both brother and sister would probably argue they raised themselves.

Hilly is sent to a therapist to help her work her way through the emotional aftermath of a friend's suicide. The first therapist is unsuccessful in reaching Hilly, so her older brother helps to find a new doctor. But does the new doctor have Hilly's best interests in mind--or his own?

Kathe Koja uses the myths of Peresephone and Narcissus to illustrate the siblings relationship. Hilly's brother Ivan tells his parents and his sister he is attempting to save Hilly from being dragged into the darkness. At the same time Ivan's own warped self-image causes him to become entangled with the therapist's scheme to use Hilly's journal writings as material for his own book.

Readers with a knowledge of the ancient myths will be treated to an interesting twist on the meanings of the old tales. Koja's book would work well and provide fuel for discussion in a high school lit class focusing on different interpretations of these classical stories.

[Christi M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disturbing yet persevering. A very easy, fast read packed with emotion. LOVED it!!

[Rachel Ashworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going Under by Kathe Koja was such a fast read. The alternating chapters between Hilly and her brother Ivan drove me onward to complete it in less than 24 hours. The plot is spread out over several months of time, but doesn't feel disjointed because of the THOUGHTS that play out in the journal-style writing of both characters. Both revisit past events and emotions throughout the story, bringing the setting back into focus each time.

There are raw and disturbing themes, to be sure, but they are told with such adolescent sincerity and innocence (in part, because of the journal-style narrative) that it is easy to read. In the short space given, Koja creates dynamic and contrasting characters that create such emotions for the reader.

By the end I hated Ivan for what he did to his sister, Dr. Roland for ruining the siblings' relationship, and wanted to applaud Hilly and her newfound confidence. The set of parents, Marshall and Ada, are so child-like and ill-equipped for parenting tasks and emotions that I can't even dislike them--but pity them instead.

The last chapter told from Hilly's perspective made me immensely happy, seeing that the entire thing was a letter. Although there appeared to be no resolution, Hilly invited Ivan to finish their story, and his alternating chapters are proof that he did. This was the perfect and only way the story could have ended. It kept the damage in tact with a hint of healing to come.

I hate that I bought this book for less than $1 at my local library. I want kids to read it--to know they aren't alone. If someone wrote a book about the powerful hurts in this book, then surely someone else is feeling these things. I picked it up because the jacket mentioned suicide, and homeschooling. Hilly and Ivan are little homeschool geniuses, too smart for their parents even. Hilly's friend commits suicide, triggering her complete emotional collapse which is where the story begins. I picked it up for the same reasons that many others would probably put it down and why my local library took it off the shelves and put it in the FOR SALE section. I'm glad I got to buy it, though.

[Steen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somehow, Greek mythology keeps appearing in the books I read.
Luckily, not Psyche, who follows me everywhere...Golly gee.
Unfortunately, I got Persephone and Narcissus. And a crazy psychotherapist (and the use of that word should tell you he's not awesome enough to deserve the title of psychologist), who is also a lot of a narcissist, like Ivan.
Somehow, said crazy 'shrink' decides that Persephone's tale is one of growth and maturity. Um, what? He argues that because she's away from home and has to make her own decisions, blah, blah, blah, rape. Rape doesn't sound like you're making your own decisions. Just saying.
And somehow, he pulls Ivan into the mindset as well, leaving Hilly feeling more alone than when her close friend committed suicide. Which, by the way, isn't the focus of the book. In fact, I'm not sure what the focus of the book was.
It felt like Koja was pointing out a lot of things that were wrong with 'shrinks'. Three are mentioned--two are incompetent, and one is crazy and 'evil'. Great way to display psychologists. Really. Thanks.
I started this review with four stars. And now it's two, because I kept remembering things that annoyed me.
So what did I like? I guess because it made me think about somethings. But not life-altering, OMC, let me change right now things. Just...being yourself. Coping through writing. Privacy. Losing someone through suicide. Having a jerk of a brother who thinks you're jealous when you're really just trying to help.
(^^all of the above, except the last part? Yeah, that's me. No biggie. So maybe I liked it because it was very close to my own life, except that I didn't go through therapy with a psychotherapist who tried (and succeeded) to steal my journal to publish in a book.)
Oh, I think that might have been the plot.
Well, it was an easy read. On the bright side.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is interesting to be written by two angels from Ivan and Hilly. After I finished reading, i felt like I still want to read more in this book which just has 120 pages actually. in other ways, i love the last several paragraphs from hilly's thoughts shows this book pretendedly is written by them, Hilly and Ivan. Also i love the book combines two stories from the Greece myths to compare with the life how the main character like and i can understand deeper about them. But i feel that after reading half fo book, the rhythm of it became faster and faster unlike the slow rhythm before i got used to. The discovery of Dr. Roland from Ivan. The leaving of Ivan. The relief of Hilly. these scene may can be written one hundred pages more but from the book,just have about 30 pages to end up. feel a little bit upset and disappointed. However, i still enjoy this great book during reading:)

[Miss December · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read this year, hands down. Everything is concise and damn near perfect, from the set up to the ending. I'm sad that this book doesn't have more recognition. It's a fast read, and I really liked the plot. A careful and unorthodox take on Persephone and Narcissus, if you even slightly like this myth, you'll like this book. And I love the way the character Ivan was written. I don't think it was meant to be funny, but some parts were hysterical for me. There are also some quotes in the book that will stay with me, such as "...experience is a muscle. Or a scar. Or both," (p.13) and "Some creatures grow strong there, outside the light," (p.64).

I'll definitely be reading this one again. The switch from Ivan to Hilly in each chapter is great and the author handles both characters' transitions very well. This book was an excellent surprise!

[Marilu · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was OK and it wasn't very interesting in my opinion. I liked that it did have some humor in it though. This story is about Ivan and Hilly who are brother and sister. They were very close but were being torn apart when Hilly's friend committed suicide. They send Hilly to see a therapist but she doesn't trust him. The characters relate to the Greek myth, Persephone and Narcissus. This story wasn't long enough, it should have had a few more pages. The good thing was that it was easy to read and it shows a good example of the relationships with brothers and sisters.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Koja has written an interesting book, but at the end, I was left wanting a little more. The mythological symbolism is heavy throughout the book, but it does not seem to work completely. The symbolism seemed a little heavy-handed yet not fully realized, which is an odd combination, and may perplex some young readers. Despite its flaws, the book is still an interesting study of grief and sibling relationships. I liked it but felt that it could have been even better.

[Cher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this story could be read two ways, with the intertwined main characters being inseparable or not. I also love that the point of evil's personification rests on a psychotherapist who isn't wildly abusive but subtly so. Highly enjoyable prose style, fascinating unpredictable storyline -- more of a mood piece, longish short story, than a full novel in feeling and scope, though. In fact, in that regard, it reminds me of some of Margaret Atwood's short stories.

[Timmi Electron · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book 'going under'revolves around siblings and very close ones.sometimes it really gets on the nerves when you can not do what you really want to,always ordered around,always pre planned,always directed,that's what happens to girl,but the brother doesn't know anything else to cope with the situation,he's always been this way.I don't blame him.The way girl fights back the darkness of doubts and disbelief is amazing,worth reading.simple as that.

[Ozimandias · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very short book that probably could have benefited from a couple more pages. Essentially a story about two siblings who need each other desperately but end up apart, the book was too fragmented and uneventful to be interesting. A shame, but it happens.

[Mimi Wolske · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're familiar with your Greek myths, then I think you'll find Going Under is laced with the same type of foreboding; however, an uncertain ending leaves left me trying to decipher the story’s messages about family, intense love, and betrayal.

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange, half-realized tale of a controlling brother and his sister who wakes up to herself. It wasn't formulaic by any means, but for me, it just missed being compelling and instead was curious.

[Wendy Holliday]

Boring ... Didn't care.

No hook!! and the alternating chapters is clever, but the characters actually have to be people a reader would care about.

[Shiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

couldve been better...but it was good

[Josette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh.