OCDaniel

Gr 9 Up—Daniel, a budding writer and resident pariah, is tortured by a neurosis that racks his body and mind with pain if he doesn't fulfill obsessive rituals before bed, eating, or anything else in life. He lives in fear of these compulsions, until his path is crossed by someone whose cornucopia of irregularities rival his own. Sara is situationally mute and understands his problems because hers are more than she can bear. Believing her father was killed by her stepfather, Sara embarks with Daniel on a desperate search to reveal her father's fate. King uses crisp, believable dialogue to illustrate positive character dynamics, while sidestepping stereotypes and the typical YA tropes in this coming-of-age tale. Readers will find the characters sympathetic but may become disillusioned by the lack of a driving point in the book. At times, the work is a character-driven book of neuroses, and at others it's a quirky coming-of-age comedy. Then, it switches gears and becomes a plot-driven novel of suspense. King endeavors to explore too many avenues of possibility: the progression of Daniel's placekicking career; his unlikely pursuit of Raya, the popular girl from school; the inclusion of the character's own writing; and, finally, the arc unveiling the fate of Sara's father. King is a skillful writer, but the multiple strands give the novel an unfocused feel.