Made You Up

Reviewed by: Sheila Dube - Springvale Public Library, Springvale, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 15, 2015

Review

Recommending this debut novel for cream. The lobsters have always talked to Alex, from the time she was seven. Now that she is starting in a new high school, she is keeping her paranoid schizophrenic diagnosis a secret, as well as her meds., therapist and various hallucinations that seem real. Alex's blurred lines between real and hallucination are ever present while she tries to experience normal high school situations. Zappia's treatment of presenting short and long chapters, Alex's snarky voice, personal moments where Alex is questioning the Magic 8 ball and quick pacing provides readers with an undiscriminating acceptance of her reality in all its confusion. She is such an unreliable narrator that readers will not be sure which situations and characters are real until they are revealed as such. Parents are flawed; authority figures have secrets; hospitalization is required, and a romance develops from rocky beginnings. This book will inspire students interested in psychology to explore what individuals with paranoid schizophrenia experience, especially since people generally experience their first episodes during their teen years, not younger like Alex. Besides the mental health issues, themes of friendships, loyalty, seeking help from abuse and acceptance of differences appear. The bookjacket and end pages will help this fly off the shelf.

Overall Book Score: excellent