Waiting for Fitz

January 1, 2019
While seeking treatment for mental illness in a psychiatric ward, a teen contemplates the meaning of life.When her obsessive-compulsive disorder rituals become severe, 17-year-old Addie Foster must defer her senior year of high school to enter Seattle Regional Hospital's psychiatric ward as an inpatient. Although her first-person account describes how her OCD manifests and some of her treatment plan, the focus is on her relationship with fellow patient Fitz, who suffers auditory hallucinations. An aspiring playwright, Addie becomes consumed with a homework assignment that questions Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Issues with Fitz and the play converge as the two find fun with puns and other wordplay and notice how people are always acting and wearing masks, both on- and offstage. The story escalates when Fitz asks Addie to help him escape the hospital and find closure to a painful secret. In the process of connecting with Fitz, Addie not only begins to understand the waiting in Beckett's play, but also life itself. This complex story of merging metaphors and symbolism is for sophisticated readers who prefer reflection to adventure. Debut novelist Hyde offsets the painful realities of mental illness with gentle surprises and such humor as Fitz's naming his hallucinations after popular country singers. One patient is Mexican-American; the default for all other characters is white.Thoughtful and thought-provoking. (Fiction. 13-18)

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March 1, 2019

Gr 8 Up-Midway through her senior year, 17-year-old Addie Foster is sent for in-patient psychiatric therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) at Seattle Regional Hospital. Quick-witted and literary-minded, she dreams of being a playwright. Making some unlikely but unique friends from the first day of group therapy, Addie accepts that she needs help, while handsome, mysterious Fitz is desperate to leave after two years of treatment. Grieving and guilt ridden, Fitz, who has schizophrenia, mentions San Juan Island and the name Quentin but does not offer any details to Addie. Innocent romance sparks for the two, their shared passion for literature kindling their companionship. When the truth of Fitz's past is revealed to Addie, she is forced to take a painful look at their relationship and her own future. The ending is hopeful, albeit a touch predictable. Hyde, having spent much of his high school years in in-patient therapy for severe OCD, provides an accurate, honest rendering of teenage mental illness. VERDICT Fans of John Green and Jennifer Niven will enjoy this realistic portrayal of some heavy subject matter.-Laura Jones, Argos Community Schools, IN

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2018
Grades 9-12 Addie's OCD rituals are so severe her mom seeks out intensive treatment at an inpatient psych ward. I understand now why my mother was looking for more help . . . but at the time I thought she was overreacting, Addie notes in typical droll fashion as she launches her story of life on the inside. The witty literary sophisticate narrates a poignant, at times tragic, tale of the emotional pain some kids endure, none more so than eventual soul mate Fitz. Suffering from schizophrenia, and from guilt over his brother's death, Fitz touches Addie's heart as he asks for her help with an escape plan. Their breakout adventure revs up the pace, with the daunting plunge into the outside forcing both teens to grapple with their afflictions in a different setting. Savvy readers will be intrigued with Addie's Holden Caulfield-esque persona and use of absurdist drama to figure out her own life. But all readers will respond to Hyde's fully authentic characters and compassionate portrayal of kids in pain.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)