It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide.

For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.Įveryone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago-except Pippa Fitz-Amobi. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. For the readers who stick with him until the end, the results will resonate with them just as loudly as Craig’s newfound credo: to live for real. What results is a slow start to an easy, occasionally long-winded novel about a troubled boy’s rise from depression to recognition and acceptance for who he is. While these thoughts are truthful, it does not make them interesting. Though told in all sincerity-an afterward states Vizzini himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital in 2004-too often Vizzini idles too deeply in Craig’s meandering psyche, especially in his intense reflections on minor characters.

Vizzini’s witty, self-deprecating sense of humor keeps this winding yet entertaining novel about recovery and understanding afloat.

Craig follows orders, checks himself in and thus begins a humorously poignant journey to recovery, love and self-worth. Finally, the urge to kill himself eats into his psyche, and he calls a suicide hotline that quickly recommends that he contact a nearby psychiatric hospital. Craig Gilner, a high-school student in New York City, can’t deal with his grades, keep food in his stomach or prevent himself from feeling disconnected from his friends and family.

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini