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Reviewed by:
  • Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
  • Kate Quealy-Gainer
Kinsella, Sophie Finding Audrey. Delacorte, 2015 286p
Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-553-53651-5 $18.99
E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-553-53652-2 $10.99 R Gr. 6-9

After being bullied last year, fourteen-year-old Audrey developed a severe anxiety disorder, retreating to her room, wearing dark sunglasses all the time (even while at home), and basically avoiding any social contact. A stint in a treatment center and [End Page 31] regular sessions with her therapist have helped her make some progress, but when her brother’s friend Linus attempts to talk to her, Audrey suffers a major panic attack. Linus, however, isn’t deterred, and he sends Audrey a note apologizing; from there, the two start a correspondence first in notes and then in texts, and eventually they meet and even start going out in public places together. Audrey improves by leaps and bounds, but when a setback hits, she’s completely unprepared. While it’s a little contrived that it’s a boy that lights the fire for Audrey’s recovery, Linus is remarkably realistic—he’s encouraging, but he can’t entirely understand Audrey’s condition and even at times tells her to “snap out of it.” Her over-the-top family, whose absurd antics lend a healthy dose of humor to the story, are similarly supportive but frustrated, and Kinsella makes a point to convey how each of them has been affected by Audrey’s illness. The portrait of anxiety is both compassionate and utterly authentic, from the way it manifests itself, to its treatment, to Audrey’s ever-present fear that she will be like this forever. The fact that the specifics of the bullying incident are never described offers an excellent discussion starter: how much do you need to know about the cause of someone’s pain to justify its presence? Pair this with Haydu’s OCD Love Story (BCCB 9/13) for witty, sympathetic looks at the fits and starts of living with and recovering from mental illness.

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