by Samantha Bertis
“The thing about a spiral is, if you follow it inward, it never actually ends. It just keeps tightening, infinitely.”
And that is how Aza Holmes managed to place a grip on readers after only landing on page 7 of the book.
When you think of a book that describes or talks about mental health, what do you think? Do you think of something dark, sentimental, or unrelatable? Or maybe something else?
I used to think that books with those themes are like that – unrelatable, weird, depressing… But as a young child who didn’t know much and was soon to enter my teen years, being a 12-year-old relating to a 16-year-old was quite surprising enough. It is all thanks to Aza Holmes, the determined protagonist of the book.
The book opens up with Aza talking about school. After a few pages, we meet other characters that will soon be relevant to the story later on. Following a few chapters, we learn that a fugitive billionaire has gone missing, with a reward for whoever finds them first. Aza and her best friend, Daisy, decide they, too, want to partake in the search and claim the $100,000 reward.
However, things take a turn after the two friends start investigating and looking for the missing person. From then on, we see Aza struggling mentally with anxiety and OCD, as shown when she frequents her therapist to talk about it.
The book presents so many issues through the thoughts of Aza, most specifically about mental health. This book wholeheartedly shattered me as Aza laid down her thoughts about the future and what would come of her if her mental state worsened and the pessimism in her persisted.
I’m sure many people, specifically teens, would relate to Aza. She is certainly a flawed human being, yet she represents the youth in need of help. She symbolizes the need to take care of ourselves mentally and to ask for help when in need.
The theme in the book lies heavily in mental health and the journey towards a better mental state. The author also presents different ideas and themes that could have encapsulated the story. These include love, friendship, relationships with family, school pressure, and many more that are surrounded by issues that needed to be addressed.
Overall, Aza, as a character, shows us that we have to take care of and love ourselves. It teaches readers to be aware and perceptive of the things around them and within themselves. This book can be one of comfort if given the chance to be read.