Kara's Law: A novel

by Kell Smith

Kell was diagnosed with OCD at the age of 21 and created Kara as a way of reflecting on her illness. She has often found other media portrayals of OCD to be lacking, relying too much on stereotypes and not truly connecting the outward symptoms with what’s going on inside the person’s head, so Kell wrote Kara’s Law to convey what this illness is like from the inside, while ending on a note of hope, showing Kara evolve past the roadblocks of her illness.Her cats, all named after Norse gods, like to offer suggestions as she works. Mostly Loki’s suggestions are “fill my food dish, peasant”, but she gave Kara’s Law a purr of approval.“The chemicals of the brain are strange and subtle things. I think of the chemicals in mine as volatile, explosive, powerful and shattering, but indiscriminately destructive. Or maybe not. Maybe they combine to form an acid, seeping, insidious, gnawing. That’s what OCD feels a corrosion of sense.”

260 pages, Paperback

Published January 27, 2019

Reviews

[Nick Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so exciting to read the work of a friend, but even more so to be able to give a whole-hearted five-star review! Kell has created instantly likable characters who are always funny together, which makes the book fly by. She also has a great feel for tight scenes, stringing lots of miniature moments together with pith and verve. She uses a frame story as a vehicle for telling the parts that don't need to be shown, so that a simple college adventure has a real feel of building chapter by chapter.

There are a few rather convenient moments, and a handful of editing issues, mostly inconsistent use of italics. But these didn't mar the warm feeling I had throughout this quick read.

[Sue Gabianelli-danneker · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting concept for a story- but weirdly developed. The characters know each other very well in the middle and end but these same people who have known each other for the same amount of time seem to be very distant from one another in the beginning. It was hard to reconcile her OCD with her infatuations at the same time and all the other things going on. It was very busy. I'm sure that is what happens in one's head- but for someone else to peer inside it's hard to reconcile. My son had to read this for High school summer reading and he disliked it as well. Actually, that's what triggered me to read it because I wanted to see if what he said was factual or teen angst. I have to agree- ALthough most stories you don't go through what it is happening there is a relatability factor based on believability and although OCD and mental health are real and exist the storyline may have just made it undigestable for the reader instead of sympathetic.

[Zack Quaratella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kara's Law is a novel that viscerally depicts the struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) that the titular character endures. Author Kell Smith's first novel, Kara's Law intends to show readers what OCD feels like internally. It uses a shifting narrative, flowing between the real world, dreamscapes, recollections, and doctor's offices to convey the chaotic nature of a mind suffering from OCD. The main thrust of the narrative follows Kara as she believes that a newly-rediscovered priceless work of art by Vincent Van Gogh may actually be a forgery. I found it to be thoughtfully written and a satisfying depiction of a very misunderstood mental illness.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're interested in psychology, mysteries, and/or art, this book is for you.
Kara is the type of character that's incredibly relatable and real, even if you don't struggle with OCD or mental illness in general. As she struggles with herself internally, she finds herself wrapped up in a mystery that she never expected to really happen to her.

[Halyna Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! The dialogue was amazingly written. It was really fun to read something by someone I knew before hand, but beyond the existing attachment the characters were lovely and I was hooked till the end.

[Very Special · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good! I was completely engulfed throughout the entire novel and loved every second of it. Definitely one of, if not my favorite books of 2019