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Summary
Summary
The fascinating, shocking, and ultimately quite hopeful story of one teen's downward spiral into mental illness by the bestselling author of Tweak .
Miles's little brother Teddy is missing. The police believe he drowned at the beach--the very same day Miles had his first schizophrenic episode. But Miles knows better--Teddy is alive. Kidnapped. There was even a witness! Fueled by guilt, Miles sets off to rescue Teddy.
There is so much to overcome, though. The endless pills he must take. The girl who steals his heart and plays with it. The black crows that follow him.
As seen through Miles's distorted perception, his world closes around him as he pushes to keep it open. What you think you know about his world is actually a blur of gray, though, and the sharp focus of reality proves startling.
The New York Times bestselling author of Tweak offers a fascinating and ultimately quite hopeful story of one teen's downward spiral into mental illness.
Praise for SCHIZO:
Included in CNN.com's roundup of "new titles to feed your YA addiction"
"Readers fascinated by the dark side of the human mind in realistic fiction will enjoy this deft portrayal of a brain and a life spiraling out of control. Miles is an endearing character whose difficult journey will generate compassion and hope." - School Library Journal
"[T]he crafting of the plot and the convergence of the different storylines keeps pages turning. Schizo is a thrilling read for teens." - VOYA
"[A}}n insightful perspective on one teen's struggle with mental illness." -- Publishers Weekly
"Miles's clipped first-person narration is immediate and intimate." -- Horn Book
"[A] heartbreaking story, but particularly important in the climate around mental illness today." -Bustle.com
Reviews (2)
Horn Book Review
Two years ago a family outing to the beach ended in trauma when fourteen-year-old Miles experienced a psychotic break. While recovering in the psych ward, Miles received a life-changing diagnosis of schizophrenia along with some devastating news: during the commotion of his episode, Miles's little brother went missing and is presumed drowned. Now Miles has a therapist and a cocktail of daily prescriptions to control his symptoms, but nothing can help put his suffering family back together. Miles--sensitive and anxious--is acutely aware of the financial and emotional impact his illness has on his family and friends; he comforts himself with nicotine and self-deprecation ("Believe me. I bring nothing to the table," Miles insists) and carries the heavy burden of his illness and grief alone. Although the prose lacks the breathless verve of Sheff's 2008 memoir Tweak, Miles's clipped first-person narration is immediate and intimate, pulling readers into his formidable daily struggles while diverting attention from his increasingly "shaky" mental condition. When Miles begins a risky investigation into his brother's disappearance shortly after ditching his medications, some readers will guess the story's twist but will nevertheless hope for Miles to find peace with his life and with his illness. jessica tackett macdonald (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A teen with schizophrenia is getting betterisnt he?Miles has a slew of meds that keep him just stable enough to function, if not enough for popularity. The medication keeps his schizophrenia under control, but it cant do anything about his guilt and grief over lost baby brother Teddy. Teddy vanished (perhaps drowned, perhaps kidnapped) the day Miles hallucinations first manifested, and his family is saturated with misery, refusing to speak about Teddy and hiding all photographs of him. Miles is convinced he can fix his familys dysfunction if only he can find Teddy, and he sets out on a disjointed, confused but passionate quest for his brothers kidnapper. Meanwhile he negotiates relationships: with his best friend, who is careless with Miles safety when pressuring him to use drugs and alcohol; with his best friends girlfriend, the only person who actually looks out for Miles; and with his childhood sweetheart, who is both popular and a two-faced back-stabber. Miles mental health may not be improving as much as he thinks it is, and his quest culminates in disturbing revelations. Overly choppy prose attempts to represent Miles delusional state of mind but mostly serves to distract; still, this is a cleareyed, surprisingly hopeful look at the disorder.Given the grim reality of medical management of schizophrenia (and the bleakness of depictions of it in teen fiction), the cautious optimism of Miles life is most welcome. (Fiction. 14-17) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
