Crazy

From Barnes & Noble

In this powerful, unconventional love story, a young man discovers that the girl to whom he is utterly devoted is slipping into insanity. Of Connor's devotion to Izzy, there is no question, but even that deep commitment can provide no guarantee that she can be saved from the psychological demons that enthrall her. Another stirring exploration by the author of Beautiful and Clean.

From the Publisher

“Real and very relatable….There is great pleasure here in not looking away from the train wreck situations that Isabel creates.”—VOYA

“Vibrant….Convincing writing….Teens will undoubtedly race through this compelling and moving novel.” —SLJ

VOYA - Sharon Martin

In Crazy, alternating emails in individualized fonts tell of the growing relationship between Isabel and Connor. They met as counselors at summer camp, and continue to communicate electronically. As the emails progress, the eroding state of Isabel's mental health is exposed. Connor comes to realize this, and encourages her to get help—eventually taking matters into his own hands. Isabel's anguish is real and very relatable—there is always some aspect of her pain to which the reader can connect. Connor is very supportive of her, and would like to visit her, but respects her wishes to be apart. It does, however, take a lot of pages for her to completely unravel, and it takes Connor just as many pages to choose to get involved against her wishes. There is great pleasure here in not looking away from the train wreck situations that Isabel creates. Their voices are clear, and the connection between Connor and Isabel is strong. Isabel, even in her descent into "crazy" is a keen observer and chronicler. But, while Isabel is busy being crazy, Connor does not have much to do except react and try to convince her she needs help, a job he does well until he does even better by helping Isabel when she can no longer help herself. There are some graphic sexual descriptions and drug use, making this more suited to older high school students. Reviewer: Sharon Martin

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Connor and Isabel met over the summer when they worked as arts-and-crafts instructors at a sleepaway camp. Now back at their respective homes in the fall of their senior year in high school, Isabel in Seattle and Connor on nearby Bainbridge Island, the two have promised to keep in touch. Through just the emails exchanged between them, Reed creates a vibrant and robust world in which the main characters are well developed, as are their lives and the members of their families. Izzy is intense and beautiful with extreme highs and lows. Emotionally grounded Connor, clearly in love with her, becomes her confidante and painfully witnesses her increasingly self-destructive behavior as she spirals out of control. He must decide whether and how to intervene to save her. In this modern-day epistolary novel, one has to accept the premise that teenagers are actually writing sometimes lengthy emails to each other, often with surprising insight into their emotional states. Thanks to Reed's convincing writing, that hurdle is easily crossed, and teens will undoubtedly race through this compelling and moving novel.—Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn, NY