The Movie Version

Starred review from August 1, 2016
High school junior Amelia Anderson is always comparing events in her life to what their “movie version” counterparts would be, joined in her habit by her equally film-obsessed older brother, Toby. Toby is the star of the family, and Amelia looks up to him like no one else, so when he begins acting strangely she panics and starts covering for his increasingly disturbing behavior. After Toby is diagnosed with schizophrenia, Amelia and the rest of her family are devastated, even as she embarks on a tentative relationship with Epstein, a jam-band-loving Manhattanite she met during a summer babysitting gig in Montauk. Debut author Wunsch gives Amelia a powerful voice, alternately raw, vulnerable, and witty in its honesty about everything from sex (“I don’t even feel bad that I give my very first blow job right on the couch where my grandmother watches the evening news”) to family events spinning out of control. With a memorable, full-of-feeling narrator at its helm, this moving exploration of the effects of mental illness and a family’s new normal marks Wunsch as a writer to watch. Ages 14–up. Agent: Rachel Orr, Prospect Agency.

A movie-obsessed teen struggles to cope after the older brother she idolizes is diagnosed with a mental illness. After a summer out of town, Amelia "Meals" Anderson, a white 16-year-old from upstate New York, notices her beloved older brother, Toby--who shares her love of movies--has become a pothead. Although everyone is concerned about his increasingly erratic and disturbing behavior, she continues to cover for him out of sibling loyalty. As Meals starts a long-distance romance with her summer fling, big-eared, white Epstein, things with Toby turn scary, and he's eventually hospitalized and diagnosed with schizophrenia. Unable to open up to anyone, Meals finds solace in the school film club, led by "Somali kid" Abdi. It's clear the author is a former film critic (Amelia's memories are often formatted as screenplay scenes), but Meals' exhaustive knowledge seems improbable. Meals and Epstein's romance is another misstep, with off-putting, casually graphic descriptions of their physical intimacy and unnecessary miscommunications. Because of Amelia's frustrating unwillingness to admit Toby's schizophrenia, it is ultimately depicted as a catalyst for her personal growth rather than a nuanced mental illness. Although there are some titles on mental illness mentioned in the acknowledgments, it's a pity there is no author's note or list of resources for readers who want or need to explore further. Thumbs up for close siblings but thumbs down for this bland issues-novel debut. (Fiction. 14-18) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Amelia can't wait for her junior year of high school to start. Her brother Toby, a popular senior, will make the year awesome. There will be parties, friends, and movie marathons. Amelia can't wait to tell Toby she may have a boyfriend. Nothing happens the way she imagined. Her sibling hides in his room and spends his days smoking pot, writing in a notebook, reading "Lord of the Rings," and listening to the Beatles. Amelia covers for him when he skips classes and when he hallucinates after drinking. While this is happening at home, the protagonist is trying to deal with school and her first boyfriend and struggling in a world without Toby as the star. Toby's breaking point occurs in the cafeteria, and Amelia tries to come to terms with his diagnosis. When he is sent to a treatment center, Amelia has to learn what kind of person she can be without her brother. Told in the first person, this narrative about a complex sibling relationship will resonate with readers. There are references to teenage drinking, cigarettes and marijuana, and sex. The secondary characters are different and distinguishable, but Amelia and Toby take center stage. VERDICT Recommend to fans of realistic fiction that focuses on mental health issues.-Natalie Struecker, Atlantic Public Library, IA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.