Ambitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life – which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan’s Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself.
Craig’s suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.
Published in 2006 and subsequently adapted into a 2010 film, It’s Kind of a Funny Story is a surprisingly witty and unflinchingly honest portrayal of teenage depression.
Depression. Not the sexiest of subjects, however it is an increasingly prevalent way of life for millions of people. The importance of diagnosis is becoming more recognised and slowly, the topic of mental health is transforming into a discussion worth having. So, a book with a 15-year-old narrator who suffers from depression is music to our ears.
Is this a decent portrayal of mental health issues? Short answer – yes. The thought processes are accurately described, the general despairing mood is created well and furthermore, Vizzini uses brilliantly creative ways of explaining things e.g. Craig has “Anchors” (‘things that occupy my mind and make me feel good temporarily’), “Tentacles” (‘evil tasks that invade my life’) and “Cycling” (‘over and over again, a cycling of tasks, of failures, of problems’ which go around and around in his mind). Craig agonizes over how he can possibly be depressed because he didn’t have a terrible childhood or a traumatic experience; there is no sole identifiable reason. Instead, it is an internal battle with himself. He no longer wishes to exist because he believes he is worthless. Readers will more than likely fall into two camps: completely empathetic towards Craig, even feeling that they can relate past or present moments of their lives to his experience; or sheer annoyance that he’s whining about no “real” problems.
The next logical step would be to discuss Craig as narrator. At 15 years old he’s wise beyond his years yet this isn’t remotely jarring, nor did it cause any eye-rolling on our part. In terms of the world and the awareness of his own mental health he is incredibly perceptive, even cynical, yet he still retains a pleasing level of naivety when it comes to teenage activities like girls and friends. Craig is witty, he’s sharp and he’s the likeable vessel for Vizzini’s story.
Following on from this, Vizzini’s representation of teenage life is suitably authentic: the pressures of school, the pressure of friendship groups, sexual awakening and appropriate language. The only slightly dubious aspect was the romance elements as they are pretty clichéd and arguably unnecessary. I’m not sure that the romance gives the best possible message regarding depression and companionship, but thinking back to teenage years it was hormones galore, so it’s kind of excusable.
At 444 pages it isn’t a particularly short book but it’s so intensely readable: the chapters are good easy lengths, the story certainly maintains interest and makes you want to keep reading, meaning that large chunks of the book can be covered in one sitting.
We’ve skirted around rather a big issue here. Its relevancy is questionable, however the following snippet of information is readily available if you were to search for the author’s name: Ned Vizzini committed suicide in 2013, aged 32, after his own battles with depression. It’s quite a surreal experience knowing that the author subsequently killed himself because of the very topic that he often wrote about. Being brutally honest, it does mar the experience somewhat, only in terms of overwhelming sadness. Vizzini sought a means of permanent escape, yet his book unashamedly offers glimpses of silver linings emerging from the depths of Craig’s despair. It’s quite a bitter-sweet reading journey based on the knowledge of the author’s real life.
This is an important Young Adult book. It tackles a subject which has become much more prevalent (or more recognised) amongst teenagers: a feeling of depression, hopelessness and of being unable to cope with life and school. It puts a voice to the struggles and through Craig, readers may begin to acknowledge their own problems and feel not so alone.
Even though this is a book about depression and admittance to a mental ward, it isn’t a gloomy and – well – depressing read. Yes, it is sombre when it needs to be, but on the whole it introduces a sense of hope into a hopeless situation. Vizzini expertly handles a sensitive and extremely hot topic in such a way that engages rather than alienates younger readers.