BOTM for NOVEMBER is OCDaniel

[Jemima]

Three front-runners this month, but a clear victory for OCDaniel with 25.5% of the vote, followed by Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life with 21.6%.

Although it wasn't my first choice, I'm fascinated by the blurb of OCDaniel, but it's not on my local library system, so I'll have to investigate further. We are having a discussion on availability of books for BOTM in another thread.

So, eyes down, it's OCDaniel all the way for November. Post your comments and reviews (hiding spoilers behind spoiler tags) here - we want to know what you think!

[Manybooks]

So I cannot believe that this author is Canadian, and my local library does NOT have the book (it is on order, but that is neither here nor there), growl (and it is too recently published to even try ILL, as books published within the past two years are not considered acceptable).

[Leone]

Based on the author's personal experience with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, the Daniel of this story suffers from the anxiety, panic attacks and derealization of this mental illness, but wants desperately to be normal. He's fairly successful in keeping this from his family and friends until Psycho Sara enters his life. I feel Wesley King conveys very realistically what Daniel, or any OCD sufferer undergoes, and kids reading it will come away with an understanding and empathy for those who seem "different."

[Georgie]

I've read it. I really liked it.

Daniel of course is the most important character. I found him very engaging, and his descriptions of the torment he goes through when he gets 'zapped' were painful to read, he's so vulnerable and isolated.
I really liked his voice and thought it was believable.

I loved Sarah too, like Daniel she's brilliant but broken. I loved how the relationship between the two of them developed and changed, how they changed each other too.

The supporting characters were quite well developed, I liked that Max was such a good friend to Daniel, and especially liked sister Emma too, who was smart and funny.

I thought the portrayal of OCD was really fascinating, I always thought it meant excessive tidiness, hand-washing, and light-switch flicking. I had no idea about the different forms it can take, in Daniel's case the whole thing with numbers was really interesting. My heart just broke for him so many times though.

I thought the author did a great job of interweaving multiple plots - Daniel's struggle with his OCD, the thing he gets involved in with Sarah, the football, Raya, his book. I think all the stories got the right amount of focus. I really liked the parallel between real-Daniel's conflict and isolation caused by his OCD and fictional-Daniel's conflict and isolation in the world he found himself in.

The ending was interesting. Not quite as resolved as I might have liked but with a real sense of hope.

I think the book has several 'messages', which it gets across without preaching (I HATE being preached at/hit over the head with a 'message' by any author, even if I agree with what they're saying). My favourite one is that it's okay to be a bit strange/crazy/odd as long as you find the right people to do it with.

[Manybooks]

I finally got a copy of the book and will start as soon as I can. Hope that the long wait and issues getting it are worthwhile and that this is actually a good book.

[Manybooks]

Have started and really like Daniel's voice. Both it and his OCD symptoms feel authentic (which actually makes sense as the author himself has OCD). Not sure how much I like the "mystery" that Daniel and Sarah try to uncover (it feels kind of superimposed and over-the-top and at least for me, somewhat destroys the feeling of realism and authenticity).

One thing I find rather interesting is reading a middle grade novel that is clearly written in a post Harry Potter universe. Daniel using the feeling of being eaten by a demented to describe his compulsions and struggles with them, now that is of course only possible post Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (and the fact that the dementors were conceptualised by J. K. Rowling to mirror mental illness, depression and such).

[Manybooks]

While I ended up really liking much of the novel, I do have to again state that the mystery sequence with regard to what happened to Sara's father feels a bit unnecessary and out of place, kind of superimposed on an already a very interesting and often heart wrenching story (but I think that while I as an older adult reader who has never liked standard mysteries all that much might not like the mystery aspect and feel it is kind of contrived, the intended audience might be more forgiving).

[Leone]

Re OC Daniel, I agree, the mystery did seem a stretch- but I felt the author wanted to show the developing friendship between Danial and Sarah, too.

[Manybooks]

Leone wrote: "Re OC Daniel, I agree, the mystery did seem a stretch- but I felt the author wanted to show the developing friendship between Danial and Sarah, too."

I agree, and as I mentioned previously, the intended audience might actually appreciate the mystery, but for me, it did a bit diminish my reading pleasure, but I still enjoyed the book enough to have rated it with a solid three stars.