The Plot:
16 year old Aza and her fearless friend Daisy investigate the disappearance of a fugitive billionaire Pickett in the hope of getting the hundred-thousand dollar reward.But Aza is friends with Picketts son Davis.
On the one hand she is also prey to a tightening spiral of anxiety and OCD which affects every aspect of her life and impedes normal living.She longs to be a person in control of herself and her thoughts and is fighting her own battle as she simultaneously tries to fulfil the roles of being a good daughter,friend and student.
This is Aza's story and a story of friendship,sacrifice,love,resilience and hope.
My thoughts:
I usually stay away from young adult fiction but somehow I was very curious about what this book was about and decided to take the plunge.I dont regret it.
I think this book dealt with various issues and was a story about everything and nothing.Though the main plot about the runaway billionaire leaving everything to his pet Tuatara did seem very unrealistic.(Can something like this happen ever?)So though I loved certain parts of this book ,I didnt quite enjoy the central plot much.
However I loved the characters.Their teenage struggles were aptly captured.Aza's struggle with her mental health problem was portrayed in such a hard hitting way that it seemed all too real.The helplessness she feels touched me as a reader. That she has to live in this tightening spiral and the fact that it doesnt get better and it cant be fixed gives one insight into what really goes through the minds of such trapped lives.How she deals with these spiralling thoughts that are entirely out of her control and provoke her to even drink hand sanitiser and how despite all this she struggles to be a good daughter and friend and lead as 'normal' a life as possible.Makes us revaluate our lives.It is very tough to live with anxiety and OCD and it was painful to read about the frustrating and compellling nature of her illness and how it affects those close to her,family and friends.
The friendship between Aza and Daisy captured teenage spirit and their exchanges were peppered with humor.Daisy is a writer of star wars fan fiction and that was interesting to read.Davis and his brother Noah deal with their own problems despite having material wealth.
However some bits did leave me wondering if American teenagers are really like this.Having the most profound converstaions and unearthing life lessons for themselves.It did get a tad too philosophical in parts.But I also enjoyed reading the entries Davis posts on his blog.Those made a lot of sense.So everything balanced out.
This simple story was about undying friendship,love,family and the power of hope.It reminded me how it felt like to be a teenager.
It does tell us that you dont need to lose yourself in the tightening spiral .This particular quote says it all
"Spirals grow infinitely small the farther you follow them inward,but they also grow infinitely large the farther you follow them out"
I liked this book much better than 'The Fault in our stars'.
I rate it a 3 out of 5.
