Lexapros and Cons

March 12, 2012
Adult author Karo’s (I’m Having More Fun Than You) background as a comedian is evident in his bawdy yet affecting YA debut, about a 17-year-old boy with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Chuck’s rituals include hand-washing and using the color of his Converse high tops as a “little threat level advisory code of my emotions.” His parents push him to see a psychiatrist, but when his doctor prescribes Lexapro, Chuck refuses to take it. He also swears never to tell his crush, Amy, about his OCD, but has to revaluate his choices. Karo offers a solid primer to OCD, including its treatments. Readers may find the book ends too neatly, but Chuck is a funny, honest narrator (his biggest pet peeve: people who claim to “have a little OCD,” which “makes it seems like I’m a drama queen or something. I spent close to two hours last night getting in and out of bed to check the fucking stove and then go pee. That’s the real deal”). Readers will be impressed with Chuck’s bravery in working to solve his problems. Ages 14–up. Agent: Peter McGuigan, Foundry Literary + Media.

March 1, 2012
Senior goofball Chuck Taylor has struggled with obsessive-compulsive disorder all his life, and his crush on the new girl in school pushes him to deal with it. Finally. When Amy Huntington walks into his calculus class, Chuck's jaw drops in pure teenage-boy lust. When she asks him to tutor him for her calculus AP exam, he knows something's up. Add his hilarious BFF Steve, who pines after Chuck's bitchy younger sister, a couple of douchey school bullies and a psychiatrist who speaks using only questions, and Karo has all the beginnings of a madcap coming-of-age first novel. For the most part Chuck's agreeably foul-mouthed narrative voice rings totally true: Everything from his laugh-out-loud repartee with Steve to his inner longing and lusting for Amy feels fully fleshed and real. There are moments when he seems too observant or too full of wisdom for his own good, but those times are few and far between. Short chapters and clever pacing help Karo's plot move quickly. Strangely enough, the only piece of this debut that feels forced is Chuck's OCD. While his instincts and reactions to triggers seem authentic, at times the descriptions of his illness feel like they're coming more from a textbook than a teenage boy. Still, Karo is definitely an author to watch. (Fiction. 14 & up)

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April 1, 2012

Gr 10 Up-Chuck Taylor recounts the trials and triumphs of his last semester in high school. He has concerned parents and a popular but annoying sophomore sister, Beth. He also has OCD. In addition to predictable manifestations, such as frequent hand washing and fear of touching doorknobs, Chuck meticulously tallies how many times he masturbates. He owns an extensive collection of shoes that sport his name and decides which pair of Cons to wear each day by matching color to mood. When transfer student Amy asks him for help studying for the calculus AP exam, he decides to follow his psychiatrist's advice to implement cognitive behavior therapy techniques and take Lexapro. His improvement ends abruptly after disastrous incidents alienate him from both Amy and his only friend, Steve. Determined to overcome OCD on his own, he braves dirt and germs on the Senior Weekend camping trip. Using ideas from a porn flick, plus Wii boxing techniques, Steve and Chuck defeat the bully who has tormented Steve all year. Chuck finds Amy's missing dog, and Beth decides that Steve might be worth dating. Karo captures the frustration of someone with OCD and its impact on friends and family. Stock characters such as the bumbling psychiatrist and obnoxious bully provide some targets for humor. The author's success in making Chuck's character "bizarre and profane," plus his celebrity status and previous books for adults, will generate interest in the title. However, under the relentlessly raunchy language lies a fairly conventional story with all the plotlines converging in an unrealistically tidy ending. There's not much to recommend on its value as a novel.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2012
Grades 8-10 High-school senior Chuck Taylor suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. He has only a couple of friends, fights anxiety about his need to keep clean (among other compulsions), and feels some self-loathing for having such obsessions. Karo's problem novel has some interesting high notes: Chuck's changing relationship with his psychiatrist and the prescription drug she suggests, his romantic dreams sparkedand befuddledby the beautiful new girl at school, and the well-rendered emotional lives of his friends and enemies. The story arc is predictable: boy wants girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, and in the end, boy gets girl again. Karo's use of real guy motifs is noteworthy; one of Chuck's obsessions is making a pencil tally on paper every time he masturbates, and he invents a shoe color code to reflect his moods (the shoes, of course, being Converse Chuck Taylors). This is a fairly typical teen love story that offers a humorous hook for guys who would normally shy away from the romance angle.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)