Camille is an average teenage girl, except for the fact that she lives in the French Quarter and her dad owns a popular dive bar called The Cock's Comb. She spends her days hanging out with her best friends Gina, a wealthy girl from Uptown New Orleans, and Beano, a gay football star who happens to be on the team with Camille's number one crush, her black Adonis next door neighbor, Antwone. Unfortunately, Antwone is dating M-, the most popular and beautiful black girl in school, so how is a quiet white girl with nappy hair supposed to compete for his affections? Camille's 16th birthday party is a week away and Gina has promised to throw her the bash of a lifetime at her family's mansion, and Camille is certain that Antwone will finally see that he loves her at the party. After all, he has said he got her a special gift. But when Hurricane Katrina approaches New Orleans and everyone is urged to evacuate, Camille's family piles into the car to head up to her cousins' home in St. Martinville to ride out the storm, taking Antwone's grandmother "Bama" with them. Antwone heads to Bama's elderly sister's home in the hopes he can help Auntie Shay find one of her cats before they head out, while Camille's father decides to stay at the bar to protect it in case of looters.
The next day or two is harrowing as Camille waits to hear from her father and for Antwone and Auntie Shay to show up, but they don't. Needless to say, a great many tragedies unfold as people wait for word of their loved ones. While she is sitting under the storied Evangeline Oak, Antwone appears, telling her crazy things about what he experienced during his flight from Katrina. Is she going nuts or is something much more odd going on altogether?
When the family returns to New Orleans to discover their home in ruins, she is desperate for any shred of Antwone she can find, any piece of news that will prove that he made it out. Camille decides to beseech Marie Laveau, famed Voodoo Queen, at her grave for a way to connect with Antwone once again, but as the old saying goes, "be careful what you wish for."
Knee Deep is a bittersweet tale that gave me the feels while I read it, bringing back my personal memories of Hurricane Katrina while living in Baton Rouge, LA with my family staying with us, having fled their home in New Orleans. It was a devastating time for all involved and reading the accounts here were like a gut-punch, at times. I will say that Hoeffner nails the New Orleans vibe pretty well in her story, so as a native of South Louisiana, that was very important to me. I've been intentionally vague about the story so as not to spoil it for readers, as it really needs to unfold organically. If you are looking for a coming-of-age tale about a girl, a boy, some ghosts, and a hurricane, you might want to check out Knee Deep.
