Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

 

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

Whaley, J. C. (2016). Highly illogical behavior. Speak. ISBN 9780147515209

Sixteen-year-old Solomon Reed has not left his house in years, and that’s not by choice.  Solomon has agoraphobia, which is the cause behind his absence from the public, but Solomon wasn’t always like this.  Lisa, a girl from “before”, remembers when Solomon used to go out.  As a future psychologist, she is determined to be the reason Solomon is cured.  Unknowingly an experiment, Solomon welcomes Lisa into his life, but as time passes, Lisa’s and Solomon’s relationship becomes less clinical and more of a real friendship.  When the truth is revealed, everything Lisa and Solomon have worked towards is threatened to become undone.

I think John Whaley did a good job of portraying a character with severe anxiety.  Many times, in books, when an author is trying to portray a character with a mental health condition, there is a fine line between writing the character authentically and crossing a line into a false portrayal.  I liked that Whaley made Solomon recognize his condition, had parents who accepted Solomon for who he is (though it was after they had him try therapy, which was one of their attempts to find a solution for Solomon) and kept encouraging him, and had Solomon recognize how his agoraphobia was affecting his loved ones.  Many times, Solomon felt guilty about not being able to leave. While it was not a primary factor in his wanting to face his agoraphobia, it was a factor because Solomon did care about his family. Because of details like that, Solomon was a more authentic character.  Throughout the book, many humorous scenes help balance Solomon's serious mental condition.  While his friendship with Lisa and Clark started off on the wrong foot, they did grow to have a genuine friendship and were working towards making amends by the end of the book, which I liked because it provided some closure for readers.

In an interview with Germ Magazine, Whaley talks about his experience with anxiety and how it was because of his anxiety disorder that Whaley felt an obligation to write/add to the conversation about mental health because of the lack of recognition in the topic. He describes Highly Illogical Behavior as a book about “misunderstanding mental illness.  It’s about how outsiders view it and also how insiders view it.  It is about how it is different from person to person and how it is something we should be talking about more because it’s an epidemic.”  You can read the full interview from Germ Magazine here.

What do readers think of Highly Illogical Behavior?  Kirkus Reviews agrees that “Solomon’s description of his anxiety are achingly really, and the adoration his family has for him … is poignant” and “readers will easily come to care about these bright, wonderfully nerdy, flawed characters.”  After reading, think about the book's message and reflect on how the love, understanding, and acceptance that Solomon’s loved ones had for him wasn’t the cure but made it easier to survive.  If you enjoyed reading Highly Illogical Behavior, you may also enjoy A List of Cages by Robin Roe.

Awards and Honors for Highly Illogical Behavior

• LAMBDA Literary Award Finalist
• NPR Best Book of 2016
• Bustle Best YA Book of 2016
• Mashable Best YA Book of 2016
• PopSugar Best YA Book of 2016
• PopCrush Best YA Book of 2016
• Chicago Public Library Best Teen Fiction of 2016

References

Brown, M. E. (2016, May 5). John Corey Whaley Discusses Rejection, Mental Illness, and Highly Illogical Behavior. Germ Magazine. https://germmagazine.com/john-corey-whaley-discusses-rejection-mental-illness-and-highly-illogical-behavior/

Highly illogical behavior (2016). John Corey Whaley. (n.d.). https://johncoreywhaley.com/highly-illogical-behavior

Highly illogical behavior. Kirkus Reviews. (2016, February 1). https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/john-corey-whaley/highly-illogical-behavior/

Whaley, J. C. (2016). Highly illogical behavior. Speak. ISBN 9780147515209