With a book like this there are bound to be people who won't be able to read it because of the subject matter, or who won't connect with the characters because of parts of their personalities that they don't feel are real or correct, but if you know someone with anxiety or are suffering from it yourself I think that this is a book that you should read. Wilson perfectly captures the thoughts and actions of a person dealing with an anxiety disorder. Caddie, the main character, was infuriating at times, and while most of the time I would find this something that's hard to get past in this case it wasn't because it fit the disorder so perfectly. Honestly I'm amazed at how long she managed to keep things "under control". Granted, it did appear as though no one around her really knew anything about what was happening to her, which was more maddening than Caddie herself, but it emulated real life so perfectly that despite being so angry about it I couldn't fault the author for writing it that way because so much of the world is like that. The one thing I did love was that when her friends learned the truth they didn't push her away or call her weird, they accepted her as she was and tried to do everything they could to help her. In terms of the plot I have to admit that I'm not a theater geek at all and I abhor Shakespeare, but Wilson crafted a character and a story that kept me intrigued despite those things. It's also great that while it was a huge part of the plot Caddie's anxiety disorder wasn't the entire thing, which is really important because while it shows that the disorder can be a large part of their life it's not everything. Were there little bits and pieces that I might have changed if it were me writing the story? Yes. But overall I honestly think that this was an amazing first novel and something that everyone should read, especially those mentioned above, and I can't wait to see what Wilson comes up with next.
Out September 2, 2014
4.5/5 dust spirits
*Thanks to Harper Teen for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review.
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