The Tangibles

by Natalie Blank

Seventeen-year-old Rachel has her on days and her off days. She’s battled schizophrenia since eighth grade and sometimes decides not to take her medication. To avoid a relapse, she’s careful about when she skips and how often. But no matter how normal she appears, she’s still an outcast at school, a worry to her mother, and unable to let go of her father’s abandonment. She needs the intangibles, her make-believe friends, to fill the lonely gaps in her life.

Then she meets Arnold, a real person, who is accepting and adoring of Rachel, and can relate to the numbing side effects of pills due to his own struggle with ADHD and depression. At first, Rachel is hesitant to even talk to Arnold, but her intangibles encourage the relationship, every part of it, even the physical stuff. That is until Arnold convinces Rachel to ditch her medication completely for marijuana.

The higher Rachel goes with Arnold, the less she sees of her intangibles and the happier she feels. But things take a dangerous turn when she and Arnold befriend two classmates who take getting high to a whole other level. Eventually, Rachel’s untreated mind starts to unravel, bringing her face to face with the traumas of her past.

Genres: Mental Illness

246 pages, Paperback

Published March 12, 2022

About the author

Natalie Blank holds a BFA in Acting and a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies in Dance and Culture from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and a teaching certificate from Moreland University. Natalie primarily writes fiction, exploring mental health and family relationships. She is the author of THE MASS (2024), THE TANGIBLES (2022), and WALKING OFF PLUTO (2014). Her novel THE TANGIBLES received the In the Margins Book Award in 2023.

Natalie lives in Maryland with her husband and their three children. In her free time, she enjoys working out, baking, and exploring new places.


Twitter/X:
Natalie Blank@NBlankWriter

Facebook:
@NBlankAuthor

Instagram:
@AuthorNatalieBlank

NOVELS:

The Mass: 2024
Published by Evernight Teen

The Tangibles: 2022
Published by Fire & Ice

Walking Off Pluto: 2014
Independently Published

To Catch A Rainbow Butterly: Not available - rewriting for a YA audience

Reviews

[Stacy40pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tangibles by Natalie Blank. Thanks to the author for the gifted copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rachel has battled schizophrenia since middle school. She doesn’t have many friends in her high school, but that’s okay because she has her Intangibles, friends only she can see. When a new kid struggling with ADHD moves in next door, he gets close with Rachel.

Natalie Blank can tell a story. From the very beginning I got right into the story. I don’t read a lot of young adult, but this story can definitely be read by adults as well. I loved how it brings mental health representation to the young adult library; especially schizophrenia. It’s not common to read a protagonist with schizophrenia. This was a good coming of age story, with a very very unique twist and plot.

“Real people can hurt me. My other friends can’t.”

The Tangibles is available now.

[Meg (thyme.for.books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tangibles is a thoughtful look at the life of a 17 year old girl learning to cope with her schizophrenia. Through her struggles she creates imaginary friends, her intangibles, to fill the void of real life companionship.

I appreciate the author’s delicate but honest approach to the difficulties around these types of mental illness. Rachel’s journey is shown in a realistic way and is truly a unique story. I don’t think I’ve ever read another book with a MC with schizophrenia so I found The Tangibles to be very thought provoking.

This is the first book that I have read from author Natalie Blank but I really enjoyed her style of writing. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[F.G. Laval · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderfully crafted with high quality writing and relevant important content that we all need to pay attention to, particularly given the current crisis in mental health. Schizophrenia is a largely misunderstood condition that many of us tend to shy away from. Through Rachel’s story, we explore how she engages with her imaginary friends ‘intangibles’ and how she eventually relates to a real person ‘tangible’ called Arnold who lives next door. We learn that Arnold has ADHD and has suffered depression in the past. What I liked about this story is how the characters grow through their interaction, connected experiences and the highs and lows of mental health and drug use. The author keeps the reader engaged page-by-page, weaving a very believable and realistic picture of how trauma can affect mental health. I would definitely read more work from this author and can highly recommend this book.

[Lana Orndorff · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Food tastes better when I’m off my medication. I didn’t plan on skipping today, not when I’m going to be hanging with Mom, who is always suspicious of my behavior. The pill fell into the sink when I opened the pack. And something inside me said let it go. So I did."

Natalie Blank's The Tangibles is a lovely work of YA Fiction. I don't read much of this genre anymore, but I throughly enjoyed Blank's characters, the relationships she built between them, and her depiction of various mental health issues as they affect young people. Seeing her realtionship with her Intangibles, and learning how they came to be was really well done and a fascinating part of the story.

Rachel is a great example for other teenage girls. Although she struggles with schizophrenia, she also happens to be self aware. She sometimes made questionable choices, as all teenagers do, which made me actually worry for her. This is a credit to Blank's abilities and talent as a writer. It's so important to make readers feel for the characters. I also really loved Arnold, although I worried about the intensity of the relationship between him and Rachel-- but again this is something that is also very realistic for teenagers to experience. Arnold had good intentions and he actually listened when Rachel opposed him, even if he was angry.

I was pleasantly surprised by Rachel's abilities to set boundaries for herself with Arnold, her mother, her therapist, and her intangibles. Many teenagers, especially girls, struggle with this, which is the reason I mentioned Rachel and this story as a good example for other teenage girls. While having a boyfriend, especially a caring one like Arnold, is important to her, she doesn't give up everything for him. I'd definitely recommend this to any teenager or anyone raising one.

[anie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rachel is battling schizophrenia since the eighth grade. She has medication for it but is not a fan of it. She feels like she has a metal pole in her head when she is medicated and the more she takes the pills, the more her intangibles disappear. So she skips a few days here and there, careful that her mother doesn't notice and that she doesn't hear her talking to the intangibles.

She feels totally alone and doesn't talk to anyone tangible in school or anywhere else. Then she gets a new neighbour, Arnold, who has issues of his own. The more they spend together, the happier she is and the less of her intangibles she sees. But Arnold has some bad habits and convinces her to try to. It all comes to a blow and she has to face her past in order to move on.

This story is something else. I was so mesmerised by it. I've never read anything where the main characters would have schizophrenia. The only place I've seen it was on TV, but the people with it are not shown in the best light. It was awesome to be in her head, to understand what she goes through on the daily basis and how it feels to be her. Not only that the story is so good, but I could also put it down and read it in one sitting. There is romance, friendship, family issues, mental health struggles and so much more.

Highly recommend it!

received from the author, all thoughts and opinions are my own

[Rawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big thanks to the author for sending me a free copy of the book for an honest review.

It was a new perspective of reading for me and I loved it honestly. The fact that I was able to live through the eyes of a schizophrenic person and understand the magnitude of the stereotyping people with mental illnesses face was amazing.

I only disliked the clichéd love story in the middle of the novel and the explicit scenes, but other people might like it.

[Marcella · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, it was not what I expected, in a good way.
I read the trigger warning and the topic and expected a heavy book, but the writing style makes the story flow nicely and I found that I could learn about mental illness mentioned all while enjoying the story, so it was very nice! I'm glad Rachel and Arnold managed to work everything out! This book was such an a new experience for me to see detailed explanations of some illness and issues. I like it and also get to learn new things :)

< Review copy provided by author in exchange with an honest review >

[Library Lady66 · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible well written novel that is so relatable to today’s youth. Main character, Rachel deals with mental illness, bullying issues at school, and boyfriend challenges as she tries to find her self worth. Did not want to put the book down until I finished reading it.

[Elle Sie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stories that explore mental health issues and the premise of this book intrigued me: Rachel is a seventeen year old girl who had an early diagnosis of schizophrenia. One of her coping mechanisms is her imaginary friends who she calls the intangibles: there's Larry, Breezy, Donovan and Michelle who are the nice, regular ones and from time to time, Mary who is unsettling and violent. When Rachel meets an attractive neighbour in the real world, Arnold, he becomes her first tangible friend and later, boyfriend. He understands her because he has ADHD, which although isn't severe like Rachel's mental health issues, still requires medication. Once they become closer, they decide to come off their medication respectively so that it wouldn't "bleach the connection". This is where life unravels for Rachel, affecting her closest relationships with both tangibles and intangibles.

While generally a well-meaning guy, Arnold's influence on Rachel was frustrating, though ultimately realistic. Both Rachel and Arnold come across as more mature than the adults in their lives in terms of the amount of self awareness they have and personal growth; in that sense, both are 'old souls' which is what, in my opinion, makes this story appealing to adults as well as young people. But, what I love most about this book is that it raises awareness of mental health issues including psychosis in a realistic sense that doesn't shy away from either the vulnerabilities or the challenging behaviour associated with schizophrenia. Blank is a skilled writer who moves the story along at a quick pace and splices humourous description in with the heavy issues, creating a page-turning read.

Many thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Kristen Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great story to bring mental health awareness to the forefront! I love the idea of "tangible" people and I related to this book so much since I was a child with many pretend friends ❤️

[Jeanné Olivier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book I've read from Natalie Blank, and how she is not on a best seller's list somewhere, I do not know. She writes with so much emotion and elegance, her characters stay with me for days. The Tangibles had me hooked from start to finish and I found myself tearing up, smiling, and getting nervous throughout. I have always loved reading Young Adult fiction, but as a mum with a seventeen year old daughter, I found this book particularly moving.

Rachel is a wonderful, authentic character and I had so much empathy for her emotional and social challenges. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all her Intangibles and learning how they all came to 'life' throughout the story; and I absolutely loved that they all had such strong and distinguishable 'personalities' - and particularly how they obviously all related back to the different parts of her. Larry was definitely my favourite.

Arnold is a believable and well rounded character as well; and despite both Arnold and Rachel obviously suffering with serious mental health issues, and also having some alarming behaviors, I still found a sweet innocence and naivety in their relationship, and really thought they were two lovely young people at their core. It was a bit like listening to my daughter and her friends going on about their teenage drama, at times.

The relationship between Rachel and her mum, although strained because of circumstances, feels very real and I did find myself having much sympathy, and even relating to her mum a number of times.

For me, this story delivers such a powerful and important message about mental illness and the importance of understanding the cause and correct treatment plan, with sufficient medical and emotional support, as well as meaningful connection with loved ones; but very much also the significance of open conversation and the continuous evaluation and management of mental and physical health and well-being. For everyone, but especially for teenagers, as they can so easily get lost in their own thoughts and go down a dangerous spiral. So, although this story is fictional, it is so insightful to understanding young people, and all mental illnesses, not just schizophrenia.

[Charlotte Brough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Natalie Blank’s The Mass, so I was excited to dive into this one. Like The Mass, The Tangibles follows teenagers dealing with mental health issues. Seventeen-year-old Rachel has suffered from schizophrenia for the last few years. An outcast at school, she relies on her imaginary friends–the intangibles–for company. As her medication makes her feel sluggish and blocks out her friends, she often skips it, but on a careful schedule to avoid a relapse.

When Arnold moves in next door, Rachel finally has someone real to talk to. Arnold has his own issues with depression and ADHD, and understands her reluctance to take her medication given the side effects. As they grow closer, he talks her into giving up her pills altogether. He introduces her to cannabis and before long, the two of them are using it every day. Even though she’s seeing less and less of her intangibles, Rachel is happier than she’s ever been, until one weekend when they take things too far, and it all comes crashing down…

I enjoyed this book, although not quite as much as The Mass. It was refreshing to see someone with schizophrenia as the main character, especially as the story is told in first person, so we can see exactly what’s going on in Rachel’s head. She’s not portrayed as a ‘typical’ crazy person like you’d see on TV; instead, she seems pretty ‘normal’–she just happens to see people who aren’t real. For the most part, she seems to know and respect her own limits and boundaries. I wasn’t super keen on Arnold as he kept trying to push her past what she was comfortable with, but then, that was partly the point of the story–he needed Rachel’s validation as much as she thought she needed his. I also wasn’t sure about the way it ended, as once Rachel confronted her past trauma, the intangibles all disappeared, and she seemingly became ‘normal’. It was explained that they may still come back (and I’m by no means an expert on schizophrenia), but that didn’t feel entirely realistic to me. Ignoring that, though, the characters (even the intangibles) felt well-rounded and realistic, as did the relationships between them, and I think a lot of people would relate to Rachel’s struggles to fit in. Highly recommended.

[Hanif · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about a girl with schizophrenia who struggles to deal with her day-to-day life as she attempts to deal with an absentee father and a hardened and controlling mother. It's a book that deals with relationships, love, and mental illness and how many of these sorts of people are survivors in the real world. It's pretty interesting and thought-provoking. It has the potential to be better and was perhaps a little rushed in certain spaces but overall, I definitely enjoyed it and would recommend it to people interested in the subject matter.
Our Protagonist is troubled from the start. She has encountered a host of imaginary friends over the years who help her cope with her isolation and lack of social skills. She visits a psychologist who listens to her and prescribes medication. She also has an extremely supportive mother who she often takes for granted and berates. One thing that irritated me by the end was how nagging and ungrateful Rachel came across. I get that her mother can be a little controlling. She was by no means perfect, but it seemed that the protagonist would get triggered by simple questions and her mother's genuine interest and that seemed really on called for but I get that the book needed drama.
Things really heat up when Rachel meets a boy named Arnold who also has a mental illness and becomes a bit of a drug addict in order to cope. The two begin a relationship that has both of them questioning their lives. And that's the set up from what ends up being a very tipsy-turvy series of events. But the end everything wrapped up smoothly which I liked but I would have liked many of the story elements to be more developed, particularly the relationship between Rachel and her mother, which definitely has its positive tender moments but has a few empty ones as well. Still, if you can deal with the simplicity of the plot, there is a lot in this book to dissect and be impressed by.

[Tracey Morait · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother had paranoid schizophrenia, a condition I'm ashamed to say I didn't fully understand; like the rest of my family, I shied away from it and pretended it wasn't there. This book changed my perception of it and in many ways reminded me of how my mother used to behave when I remembered her being ill.

Seventeen-year-old Rachel has lived with schizophrenia since she was a child and finds solace in her 'intangibles', imaginary friends who seem to be an extension of parts of her personality. My first thought was, ‘Oh, no, another confusion of schizophrenia with multiple personality disorder!’ but I did my research and found that these imaginary friends are actually a common feature of the condition. Because Rachel relies heavily on her intangibles for friendship, support and advice, she has difficulty relating to the ‘tangibles’ (real people) and so has issues at school. Then she meets Arnold, the attractive boy who’s just moved in next door. They connect because they have something in common: both are living and struggling with a mental illness. Arnold has ADHD and self-medicates on drink and drugs and much of the book explores how Rachel is torn between trying to keep her condition under control with conventional treatment and by experimenting using Arnold’s methods. She is attached emotionally to her intangibles, but knows that if they’re no longer there she will be deemed as ‘well’. Arnold’s methods are only a short-term solution to both their problems. Rachel soon questions if their relationship is healthy and begins to explore what might have been the trigger for her schizophrenia, an event in her past she hasn’t quite come to terms with. She wants to help Arnold battle with his own demons and to accept he needs conventional treatment to help him live with his condition.

A page turner that grabs the reader’s attention to the end.

[Shradha · Rating 1 out of 5]

It took me a long time to read this one. I wanted to like it, I really did. It's not often that we get books dealing with teen mental health issues, let alone ones so vilified as schizophrenia. So, I really wanted "The Tangibles" to break down those stereotypes and make the condition better known. However, the main character just ended up being just too insufferably dramatic for me to really get into the story. I found myself having to cringe at the contrived nature of the dialogue and internal monologues, to the point that I had to leave the book for long periods in order to get back into the story. I feel like the author was trying to capture the angst associated with these ages, but went a little bit overboard.

Another thing that influenced my ability to get into the story was the feeling of race fetishism that seemed infused in various points in the book. For example, the main character talks about her boyfriend and his mother as being "gorgeous Native Americans" and highlights their race multiple times throughout the book. The same goes for some of her "intangibles"/personified hallucinations, one of which is described as being a "gorgeous" half-Ethiopian individual. While again, I can understand the author's intention to perhaps have some diversity in the story, again there was the sense of having gone overboard, to the point where the descriptors appeared far more for the purpose of underlining the exoticness of the character as opposed as a descriptor.

Thanks to Readerviews and the author for allowing me to obtain a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Bella Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wild teenage schizophrenic ride.

The Tangibles by Natalie Blank is a raw portrayal of a teenager’s struggle with schizophrenia as she comes of age. Maybe I was triggered by how realistic it felt, but Blank doesn’t hold back. Blank puts it all on the line, without holding back. She makes Rachel both relatable and sympathetic, pulling you onto a ride that feels as disorienting as Rachel’s own mind—you can’t get off until the final page.

I had to put the book down more than once to sit with it. Rachel’s love interest isn’t a knight in shining armor, but another damaged teen, weighed down by ADHD and drug use, boarding her onto another track. The dynamic with her mother is equally powerful—her desperate attempts to help, Rachel’s resistance—it forces you to see both sides.

There’s a lot to chew on here. This isn’t a fluffy read—it’s challenging, thought-provoking, and lingers long after you finish. It's exactly what great books should do. Kudos to Natalie Blank for such a courageous feat.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast read dealing with schizophrenia, love, and relationships; perfect for a weekend or beach read.
I really found it easy to understand where Rachel was coming from: adolescence, and a less-than-optimal family dynamic is not easy to deal with. Throw in mental illness on the teens part and life becomes more of a challenge: it becomes almost unbearable. It’s not surprising then, that Rachel seeks solace in the only company she understands: that of another person suffering from mental illness (Arnold). Thus, it was a logical choice—albeit a difficult read (I wanted to scream “don’t do it!”)
I like that the author included some diversity, albeit from the pov of the narrator (such as her native American boyfriend)
Overall the author did a great job at telling a story from the pov of a teen with schizophrenia. I recommend this to readers who enjoy YA drama. The topics are on point and capture many issues teens are going through today.

[Susan Sturgeon-Mannion · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I wasn't sure about the content. It's not the kind of book I would normally read. I started and stopped the book twice, fnishing it a week ago. Overall, I found it to be an honest, raw, and interesting coming of age read. Having raised three teenage boys I have seen the joys and challenges they faced with their friends. The Tangibles book is an easy read and a real page turner. I enjoyed reading this book. Cuddos to the author.

[Gabby Gilliam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads like a cross between The Fault in Our Stars and Boys on the Side. It follows a mentally ill protagonist and her struggles to find herself again after the onset of her symptoms. The dialogue is a bit clunky in places and there are some major things that are glossed over, like her boyfriend's control over her and an attempted sexual assault.