It's Kind of a Funny Story

by Ned Vizzini
(2010 | 444 p)

I'm an adult that reads quite a bit of teen fiction. I sidestep the stuff with too much angst, but overall I'm a fan. However, (full disclosure time) the first few chapters of It's Kind of a Funny Story about did me in. I was slapped in the face by what I could only assume was really bad writing. Case in point, this line from the first page of the book: "'Pass it, son' my other friend is like." It goes on like that for a while, and it hurt. I finally realized, though, that the author is showing us the world as seen by a 15-year-old boy suffering from depression. It's not supposed to be comfortable or nice. Once I got that and the story started to unfold I really was hooked.

Craig Gilner is a really smart kid who got into a really prestigious high school. Now that he's "made it," he's finding he can barely cope. His family is supportive, he has friends (of a sort), but life is quickly becoming something that Craig can't manage. When his thoughts turn dangerously suicidal he checks himself into the mental hospital in hopes that they'll have a "quick fix." He is admitted onto the adult floor because the children's floor is under renovations. Once Craig learns that there is no "quick fix" for chronic depression the healing really begins.

This story is, from my understanding, a semi-autobiographical account of the author's brief stay in a mental hospital. A few things are changed for the story. Young Craig Gilner, for instance, is only 15-years-old while Ned Vizzini was actually hospitalized in his early 20s. There's also the whole love story thing, which I imagine is made up (although I'd really like for that part to be true. It's adorable). Craig is a very lovable character and I really felt for him and his situation. I found myself cheering him on. This story does a wonderful job of showing that mental health issues are health issues, same as diabetes or heart disease. A much needed lesson for teens and adults alike.

Oh, and there's also a movie. It's pretty good, too.