Words on Bathroom Walls Review
Author: Julia Walton
Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
This mental health contemporary is one that has been sitting on my shelf for longer than I would like to admit. I bought this puppy months ago and for some reason now was the right time for me to pick up this excellent standalone.
Let me start by saying this, Words on Bathroom Walls is a contemporary novel about a high schooler named Adam who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. We follow Adam through his journal entries, which he is writing for his psychologist whilst taking part in a study to test an experimental new drug.
Characters
This is the bread and butter of a novel for me and if a book has strong characters I have been known to forgive lesser sins. This book hit the mark on character development. Our protagonist Adam is a witty, self-deprecating, empathetic character who is very self-aware. When reading from Adam's perspective you get the sense that he is at once very concerned for those around him, but also doubtful of his own kindness which makes him a very relatable figure in the book. The way Adam deals with his illness is admirable, but you can't help wishing he would open up and seek help from the supportive people in his life. Speaking of which, WE GET AWESOME PARENTS! Yep, you read that right, Adam's parents are AWESOME, his mom is a ROCKSTAR, I love healthy parents in YA novels I really really do. Adam's mom is constantly protective of him, she is a sweet woman but anytime a character in this book disparages Adam because of his condition she goes full mama bear and it is superb. Her new husband and Adam's stepfather is supportive even though he is still learning. Our main female protagonist Maya, who is Adam's girlfriend, is also an excellent character who takes no crap from anybody and loves Adam unconditionally. Maya is also Filipino and comes from a low-income family, so it was really nice to see even more diversity in a book about someone who is neurodivergent.
Plot
The plot of this book was excellent, I found myself drawn in at every step of the way. However, I warn fans of action-packed novels that this a character-driven plot that centers on Adam's experience with the drug, his symptoms, and his relationships. Many interesting things happen but the book is mainly a journey of discovery for Adam.
Representation
I can't speak much on this topic for this book simply because I am not schizophrenic, and neither is the author, but I have read own-voices reviews that praise the book for its representation so I highly recommend seeking them out. Adam has visions throughout the book that he has to remind himself aren't real, and you have these hallucinations described to you in his own words. We also have a representation of POC and different socioeconomic classes. Adam also attends a Catholic school but it is implied that he is not Catholic and may very well be atheist or agnostic, which is also refreshing to see.
Writing
Like I said, this book is written as if the whole thing is a collection of Adam's journal entries to his psychologist and I LOVED it. The fact that Adam is writing directly to us in the second person is very immersive and gives us a lot of insight into what he is thinking and experiencing. It was super unique and the best way to tell this particular story.
The Ending
The ending of this novel was very satisfying, it wasn't a perfect happily ever after because Adam still has to struggle with and manage his illness for the rest of his life. It was important that the novel ended with this as the reality because schizophrenia does not have a cure and inserting one into this novel would have been a mistake. However, we do get to see good things happen to Adam in the end, and he has a support system that I wish everyone with mental illness had.
Overall
I loved this novel. It hit me hard, it made me smile, it did all sorts of things with my emotions. More importantly, it opened my eyes to an illness I haven't read much about before and there's not much I love more than learning about what other people with mental illness go through. I highly recommend this book.
Have you read this novel? Comment your thoughts below!
Comments
Post a Comment