After rating All the Bright Places 5 Stars on Goodreads The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B popped up in my recommendations. While it is an enjoyable read that also tackles mental health through an adolescent protagonist it pales in comparison; especially read is such close succession. Either way I think it is great that there are so many books geared towards teens that shed light on mental health issues and help to lift the stigma of asking for help.
Adam suffers from severe obsessive compulsive disorder and is part of a teen support group where he meets Robyn and falls head over heels in love with her at first sight. Chuck, the group’s therapist, suggests using super hero alter egos as a coping mechanism; Robyn chooses Robin so Adam chooses Batman.
Adam’s life would be hard enough even without OCD. His mother is a hoarder and I really loved how Toten fleshed out her personal demons giving her one of the most compelling story lines in the novel. Adam’s father and step mother, aware that not everything is well at Adam’s mother’s, spend most of the novel trying to convince Adam to move in with them. I also loved the relationship between Adam and his step brother, Sweetie, who suffered from his own anxiety issues that only his older brother could assuage.
Actually all of Adam’s relatives had story lines that were more interesting that Adam’s fledgling relationship with Robyn but their teen romance was the thread that tied everything together because the more Adam opened up to Robyn the more he was able to examine his own life and neurosis.
“I sweat terror, Robyn! I’m scared every single second about every single goddamned thing. I worry obsessively about being buried under an avalanche of fear. Jesus, Robyn, I’m scared like only the truly crazy can be.’
‘But that, you dope, is the definition of courage: you go on despite the fear.”
