Friday, November 26, 2010
It's Kind of a Funny Story
I just finished this book, and didn't have the opportunity to post along the way of reading it. You see, I worked an eight and a half hour shift on Thanksgiving Day, and because my job is almost devoid of any actual responsibility, I read the entirety of the novel in one sitting (it's 444 pages). It's a realistic fiction work, and is was actually turned into a movie. I read through it very quickly. All of a sudden I was 200 pages in and didn't know how I got there. It's a page turner, not in the sense that it's suspenseful, but that the main character, Craig's story is so easy to relate to that you just keep reading because you're rooting for him. He has some neurotic tendencies, but beyond that, he is just experiencing teen angst. Vizzini uses colorful language for the inner monologue of Craig, which is often describing the enormous amounts of stress he feels as a teenager. All I could do was say "Yes! That's exactly how it feels!" It was definitely a good novel...not outstanding, but good, and moreso interesting, in that it's not a classic teen boy-meets-girl type novel, but instead deals with more serious issues than that. Because it is told from the perspective of a boy entering high school, I would definitely recommend this to a student of a similar age.
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Thanks for introducing me to this text. When I watched the movie trailer, I was curious about where the trauma in the text comes from. Does the book handle that better? It looks like a light-hearted romp through a mental health ward, but the people are there for a reason. You say that Craig is a little neurotic--how is that handled? Is he ill? Or, is he hiding in the hospital? What about the other characters (again from the trailer) who seem significant but in the text have some reason for being locked up in a psych. ward. I'm glad you found it a good read and an interesting one. Fill me in on what was interesting about it!
ReplyDeleteThe book is narrated by Craig, and the beginning is his explanation of why he is where he is. Craig references the past to inform the reader of details and whatnot, as a story would be told in person. The back of the book pretty much establishes what put Craig in the psych ward, so I don't feel like I'm ruining it: Craig felt a lot of stress, mainly from school, but also some obsessive habits, such as an inability to keep food down for very long (we're not sure what perpetuates this). The strain is too much, and Craig contemplates killing himself almost everyday. He plans to do it one night, but instead calls the Suicide Hotline and then admits himself to the hospital. As for the other characters, they suffer from various mental issues randing from self-mutilation, paranoia, phobias, etc. Craig realizes that his life isn't so bad and that even though he may be dealing with issues in his head that make him feel crazy, he is still worth getting to know, because he has seen what others like himself- those who have cracked mentally- have to offer.
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