Book Blog #250: It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Title: It's Kind of a Funny Story
Author: Ned Vizzini
# of Pages: 444 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Psychology
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: Ambitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life - which means getting into the right high school to get into the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself. Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.
Review: This book is borderline between three stars and four stars.

It was a good read. Since Vizzini spent time in a psychiatric hospital himself (and eventually committed suicide after battling depression), I was very curious about this story as he would be projecting his own experiences in this fictional story. This, combined with a recommendation from years ago, encouraged me to read this book as soon as I got the opportunity.

This is one of the few books where I was hyperaware that the POV is from a teenage male's perspective. The writing style was difficult for me to get used to at first, but I appreciated how it didn't feel the same as most other YA nowadays. When I was starting this book, I was initially concerned about the topic; I've read a handful of books where the main character has depression, and many of them were triggering for me (i.e. Wintergirls, 13 Reasons Why, etc.). However, this book take a more lighthearted approach and is perhaps the opposite of triggering; it focuses on the healing process rather than the tragic spiral deeper and deeper into depression that many other authors focus on.

It's not really a funny story, but there were a couple parts at the end where I chuckled because a character said something sassy/snarky that was amusing. However, it is a relatively light read for a book addressing depression..

If you are interested in the topic, I would recommend giving it a read. It doesn't take that long to get through, and it's insightful as the author is most likely pulling from his own experiences in a psychiatric hospital.