This is the first book I have read dealing with the topic of schizophrenia and that as a means for coping with depression. The story is about this boy named Mathew, whose elder brother dies at a very young age of 10 and somehow how Mathew feels responsible for his death. Since his death, Mathew is unable to get on with his life and has issues with expressing his grief leading to his eventual mental breakdown. The narration is from the perspective of Mathew and sucks you into his life, his thoughts and how fucked up his mind gets in trying to come to terms with his brother's death. The author does a fine balance of keeping the narrative from being too heavy handed or depressing. It is sad, but does not get you down and under you only want to make Mathew feel better. I really liked the characters in the story, especially that of his grandmother who is a silent support for Mathew and the only person who he really lets in. The reader is taken slowly and steadily through the break down of Mathew's mental state and the suspense of his brother's death never fizzles out. I really liked the story and I think it was a good beginning to the year of 2015. I had previously read that the story was similar to the Perks of being a Wallflower but I really don't see much of a resemblance. I really liked the use of different font styles in the book and the use of Mathew's sketches making it more life like, like you were reading through his actual diary.
All in all I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars on goodreads.
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