Language: R (72 swears, 27 “f”); Mature Content: PG-13 (some examples of underage drinking, quite a bit of sexual content - most of it imagined as part of the main character’s OCD, but some mentions masturbation in public places by background characters); Violence: PG 13 (not real, but frequent pervasive violent intrusive thoughts)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME
17-year-old Ariel finds herself struggling with isolation in a small Midwestern town. Her older sister has left for college, and her best friend is away for a summer internship in DC, leaving Ariel feeling alone. Her mind becomes a maze of endless, violent "what if" scenarios that trap her in a cycle of fear and anxiety. Before she reaches a breaking point, Ariel finds solace in two new friends she meets at her summer job at the local carnival: Ruth, a Black girl, and Rex, a teenage trans man. Through their friendship, Ariel begins to navigate her mental health challenges and discover her own identity.
Fascinating first person depiction of living with Harm OCD and intrusive thoughts. A novel written in verse, it was beautiful and painful at the same time. I was impressed with the breadth of topics it was able to address - mental health, religious trauma, police violence, gender identity, feminism, & queerness. It shows how intersectional our world is and yet how strikingly singular our individual lived experience is. I’m not sure how much use it could be in a school setting, considering some of the language and mature content, however, I do think it could be valuable purely for its honest representation of OCD and how it affects Ariel’s life.
Kiera Beddes, #bookswithbeddes
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