by Nic Stone. Crown Books for Young Readers, February 2023
New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Nic Stone is a native of Georgia and currently resides in Atlanta with her husband and two sons. In the FAQ section on her website, her response to the question about the source of ideas for her works is “rrrrwhere. I like using Story to explore problems I don’t know how to solve or to process experiences, some of which I’ve lived and some I haven’t.” Following graduation from Spelman College, she worked in Israel in teen mentoring. Listening to the stories of the people she met, she became inspired by their stories and ultimately realized her true calling as a storyteller.
In her message to readers in this novel, Stone is emphatic about the intended audience of this imperative story about mental illness and it attendant stigma. She writes, “…while this book is written for individuals who live with or have experienced any of the varying forms of mental illness, it’s written to the people who don’t really “get” how mental illness “works” and who receive a lot of their information about from sources that honestly don’t “get” it either.” (June 8, 2023)
Shelbi Augustine and her family have moved to Peachtree Corners, Georgia as she begins her senior year of high school at Winward Academy. Shelbie is bipolar and because of an incident in her past, she is very guarded in relationships and has no desire to befriend anyone at her new school. In an anonymous text exchange, she meets classmate Andy Criddle, an alcoholic in denial who suffers tremendous guilt in the death of his younger sister. Shelbi eventually reveals that she was the one in the text conversations. Their relationship then evolves into one of mutual dependence, navigating their vulnerabilities as friends and ultimately discovering romantic feelings for each other.
Stone delivers an absorbing young adult romance with masterfully drawn characters whose portrayals sensitively illuminate the complexities of bipolar depression and alcoholism. Secondary themes of divorce, grief and healing, suicide, teen pregnancy, abortion, are flawlessly interwoven in measured terms, enriching authenticity of the plot.
What works:
Diversity in characters including an affluent Black family. Shelbi’s Indian father is a neurosurgeon and her African American mother is a successful author of urban fiction for adults. Andy’s white father manages the soup kitchen at the City Mission where Shelbie volunteers. His African American mother is a congresswoman running for the Senate.
Stone’s easy and metaphoric style in describing mental illness as expressed by Shelbi. For example, “To have your own mind tell you you’re not worth the air you breathe. Do you have any idea what it’s like to feel like you’re the queen of the universe one minute and a waste of molecules the next?” (p. 139) makes the condition possibly more accessible for readers.
What doesn’t work:
Shelbi’s questioned bisexuality of Walter. Its significance/purpose in the plot is unclear.
Pass it OR Grab it?
Grab it. Facing a national growing mental health crisis among young adults, the book is essential for high school libraries and public library young adult collections.
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