Clark’s fourth book, a pivot away from his Interland trilogy, is an honest look at mental health through the eyes of teenage protagonist, Charley. Charley has a supportive, loving family but struggles with anxiety, OCD, self-harm and an eating disorder. Her anxiety becomes so acute that it interferes with her passion of playing in a band with her friends, Mia and Ada. Charley eventually ends up in Hillside House, an inpatient facility that works to help Charley and other patients acknowledge and manage their mental health, so they can return to their outside lives. During her stay at Hillside, she doesn’t have to hide her daily battles and forms a bond with fellow patients Max, Violet and Archie. As easy as it can be for Charley to function in this refuge from the world, a traumatic event, the struggle of one of her new friends, the desire to maintain friendships outside of Hillside, and her love of music will force Charley to make the changes necessary to gain control of her life.

Clark’s sensitive depiction ensures that even readers with no personal experience of disorders like Charley’s will find the character and her struggles relatable. The story can have a bit of a whipsaw effect: Charley goes back and forth between the inpatient and outpatient parts of her life, though that technique invites reflection of the often-messy multiple identities we adopt to suit the people around us, sometimes at the cost of our own mental health.

Charley’s story serves as a lesson that we can thrive in spite of our struggles, though it’s not a journey without struggle or sacrifice. The climax, involving a music competition, finds Charley facing her anxiety and even uniting her inside and outside lives. A love of music and the power of friendship help her find happiness and self-worth in this pointedly messy story.

Takeaway: An intimate, touchingly messy story of mental health, anxiety, and a young woman’s love of friends and music.

Great for fans of: Adib Khorram’s Darius the Great is Not Okay, Stephen Chbosky ‘s The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B