Alex Riddell faces a senior year of high school complicated by a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. To distinguish between her hallucinations and objective reality, she follows a strict regimen of photographing everything around her, using the camera lens as a verification tool. When she begins a relationship with Miles, a brilliant but cynical classmate, she must determine if his presence is a genuine human connection or another symptom of her condition. The plot centers on her struggle to navigate school social hierarchies and a mysterious school secret while constantly questioning the reliability of her own sensory perceptions.
Readers interested in the intersection of mental illness and young adult fiction find this narrative useful for its look at the psychological mechanics of delusion. It targets those who want a story centered on the daily logistics of managing a chronic psychiatric disorder under social pressure. The reader gains perspective on the exhaustion of constant self-doubt and the specific coping mechanisms used to remain functional when internal logic fails. It provides a look at how a teenager balances clinical treatment with the universal desire for independence and trust.
- Published
- 2015
- Language
- EN
