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srirachareadsalot 's review for:
Words on Bathroom Walls
by Julia Walton
Words on Bathroom Walls is unlike any other book I've ever read. All jokes aside, I rarely cry in books but I did in this one. It's not even that this book is that overtly cry-worthy, it's just the sympathy and connection I feel to these characters and their story, specifically Adam that make this book so especially important to me.
Adam is one of my favourite mental illness YA protagonists, if not one of my all-time favourite YA protagonists of all time. First off, he's absolutely hilarious. It was a fresh take, to be as a reader YELLED at by the narrator and ridiculed. His humour and unflinchingly honest, comical, sarcastic yet vulnerable and flawed voice is so extremely special and how developed it is brings so much to this book. He's so developed (he's one of the few characters I know who ACTUALLY HAS HOBBIES THAT AREN'T ART OR READING THAT DON'T REFLECT TO THE GENERAL PLOT. Thank you Julia Walton mwah!) He will definitely be remembered as a specific character who is so well fleshed out, dynamic, and flawed, and it was a pleasure reading from his perspective and voice.
It was also so amazingly unique and special to witness a character who is so self-aware, and able to distinguish between reality and hallucination, yet still suffer from the debilitating effects of this horrible illness. He can distinguish, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not so extremely disruptive to his every day life. Moreover it doesn't shy away from sharing how this horrible disease can manifest in people (while also informing on the difference between positive and negative symptoms, a new piece of information I was glad to learn about), the real-life effects of actual drugs used,(note: the drug Adam uses in this story is fictionalized), and the reality that there is truly is no cure for this disease, while still maintaining a hopeful ending to this book.
Another personal element to this story I really enjoyed were the presence of step-parents in parental roles, and the role of religion/catholicism in this story. They were real, developed plot aspects that brought grit and depth to this book. As both of these elements reflect back to me, it was really interesting on how they were reflected. I think both these elements sometimes can be reflected in a negative light (e.g. strict step-parents who think they have the right to discipline a child they didn't raise, and the traditionalistic restrictive values some Catholics have) but I found the representation to be really good, and added a lot to an already amazing book.
Bottom line: I cried, I laughed, and I smiled, and I think you will too. (if you're really still not getting the hint still, I'm trying to say: READ THE DARN BOOK!)
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i thought i was an ice-cold unemotional rock until i read this book and started blubbering. take that how you want // review to come
Adam is one of my favourite mental illness YA protagonists, if not one of my all-time favourite YA protagonists of all time. First off, he's absolutely hilarious. It was a fresh take, to be as a reader YELLED at by the narrator and ridiculed. His humour and unflinchingly honest, comical, sarcastic yet vulnerable and flawed voice is so extremely special and how developed it is brings so much to this book. He's so developed (he's one of the few characters I know who ACTUALLY HAS HOBBIES THAT AREN'T ART OR READING THAT DON'T REFLECT TO THE GENERAL PLOT. Thank you Julia Walton mwah!) He will definitely be remembered as a specific character who is so well fleshed out, dynamic, and flawed, and it was a pleasure reading from his perspective and voice.
It was also so amazingly unique and special to witness a character who is so self-aware, and able to distinguish between reality and hallucination, yet still suffer from the debilitating effects of this horrible illness. He can distinguish, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not so extremely disruptive to his every day life. Moreover it doesn't shy away from sharing how this horrible disease can manifest in people (while also informing on the difference between positive and negative symptoms, a new piece of information I was glad to learn about), the real-life effects of actual drugs used,(note: the drug Adam uses in this story is fictionalized), and the reality that there is truly is no cure for this disease, while still maintaining a hopeful ending to this book.
Another personal element to this story I really enjoyed were the presence of step-parents in parental roles, and the role of religion/catholicism in this story. They were real, developed plot aspects that brought grit and depth to this book. As both of these elements reflect back to me, it was really interesting on how they were reflected. I think both these elements sometimes can be reflected in a negative light (e.g. strict step-parents who think they have the right to discipline a child they didn't raise, and the traditionalistic restrictive values some Catholics have) but I found the representation to be really good, and added a lot to an already amazing book.
Bottom line: I cried, I laughed, and I smiled, and I think you will too. (if you're really still not getting the hint still, I'm trying to say: READ THE DARN BOOK!)
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i thought i was an ice-cold unemotional rock until i read this book and started blubbering. take that how you want // review to come