Shallow Seas

by Caleb H. Kim

Arthur Nicholas Braxion King is trapped. Trapped in a dilemma. A dilemma that's been eating away at his mind. A mind that can't seem to figure out this riddle. This riddle that has been asked for millenniums. Millenniums of human existence. Existence. Existence? What is existence? What does it really mean to exist?

Arthur was your typical, boring teenager. He went about life without a care for anyone or anything around him. Raised in an abusive family and later adopted into a very wealthy household, he developed an unusual sense of insecurity. He felt as though there was not a place in the world where he belonged. When he enrolled at The Academy, his battle became even fiercer. Here, he encounters a very eccentric classmate that poses a series of questions that makes him wonder, what is the meaning behind life? Why keep on living? What am I living for, or rather, what will I end up dying for?

In a world where humanity seems to live on in the perpetual state of the mundane, Arthur seeks to find a deeper reasoning behind the whole philosophy of life. Struggling to find worth and a place in his own life, he stumbles upon Angelica, the class valedictorian and kindler of his search for a universal law of meaning. Will his search end up destroying him or will he conquer this debatable, prehistoric question?

94 pages, Paperback

Published April 29, 2016

Reviews

[Atalanta Faletogo]

Arthur hasn't lived the best life. Growing up in a home with no mother and an abusive father was enough to scar him as a child. But things began to look up when he was adopted by a kind, wealthy man who worked his hardest to fix what that horrid "father" had broken. Arthur soon grew into an intelligent young man and was sent to one of the best schools in the country. There he met an intriguing woman who asked intriguing questions. Will he ever find the answer to those questions? You'll have to read the book to find out. I would recommend this book to anyone who themselves asks those hard-hitting questions that get the mind reeling. It's definitely the kind of book that makes you think! I personally enjoyed the book because even after you read the last page and close the book, Kim leaves you thinking. It's a book that bugs you for days after you've put it down.

[Alexandria Cozzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arthur Nicholas Braxion King struggles through his youth with abusive parents, ending up in a better environment, but with the typical teen troubles regardless of his private school opportunities. Personally, I had the pleasure of watching Kim write this novel. I find King to be a endearing character, making sharp, accurate comments about teenage life and a young man's struggles to grow to be a man. I highly recommend this book to anyone who ever found growing up to be a loathsome business.

[Calebk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arthur Nicholas Braxion King was an overweight, apathetic genius who was content with his life until he met the girl that would throw his life into one of the biggest crises ever to be born in the mind of man.

Although this book covers only the first portion of Arthur's life, it gives a general background of who he is and where he came from. Sadly, the story stops right where Arthur's life gets interesting. All in all, this story has the potential to become a bookshelf favorite.

[Derek G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes the author's childhood events explaining some major difficulties he had to face to get where he is at the end of the book. I enjoyed this book but was disappointed it was so small. The descriptions in the book were great, but at the end it kind of left you on a cliff-hanger wanting to know more on what was going to happen in this life ahead. I would recommend this to someone looking for a quick read probably in the 8th grade or the freshman year.

[Darius Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arthur Nicholas Braxion King is a very smart man who seeks answers in this story that he is reluctantly striving to get. This book is a very complex and intellectual in astonishing ways. His mind is very creative throughout the whole story and as the story continues his mind and thinking became more and more creative and intelligent.

[Adwoa T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a regular teenage boy, Arthur that questions existence until he meets Angelica which changes things. I personally enjoy this book because it talks about a really debatable question about the purpose and existence of life. I really enjoyed this book but I was expecting something more at the end. I would recommend this book to those who seek and want to know the purpose of life.

[Olivia Pate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arthur goes through an abusive childhood being moved to a new home for the better but going through his teenage years is another struggle. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes fanfictions.