Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley (review)

Sixteen-year-old Solomon hasn’t set foot outside of his house in three years, due to his devastating panic attacks. Seventeen-year-old Lisa is determined to insert herself into Solomon’s life and cure him in order to get a full ride at the psychology program of her choice (a motivation she obviously won’t share with him). Solomon’s uncertainty is no match for Lisa’s determination, and the two begin hanging out regularly; soon Clark, Lisa’s easygoing boyfriend, joins them and they become a trio of genuine friends. Though Solomon does begin to improve, the relationships get complicated when Lisa suspects that Clark may secretly be crushing on Solomon, who is gay; things go from complicated to disastrous when Solomon discovers Lisa’s ulterior motive. All the main characters have dimension—driven, likable Lisa; easygoing, easy-to-underestimate Clark; funny Solomon, who’s more damaged than Lisa realized—and they’re all sympathetic, with understandable motivations for their behavior and genuine affection for one another. Whaley has a tendency to tell what he just showed, which is a little awkward at times but which also makes the book accessible to readers still struggling with subtext; the punchy, conversational narration (“He had a friend. And he was terrified of her”) is enjoyable as well as effective. What’s particularly wise is the way the book gives every character both privilege and limitations and moves beyond them to make this a story about friendship, missteps, and forgiveness. Plenty of readers will sympathize with Solomon, and they’ll be surprised to find themselves sympathizing with Lisa, too.