Highly Illogical Behavior
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4.8 • 4 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Teen and adult fans of All The Bright Places, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Everything, Everything will adore this quirky story of coming-of-age, coming out, friendship, love...and agoraphobia.
Sixteen-year-old Solomon is agoraphobic. He hasn’t left the house in three years, which is fine by him.
Ambitious Lisa desperately wants to get into the second-best psychology program for college (she’s being realistic). But how can she prove she deserves a spot there?
Solomon is the answer.
Determined to “fix” Sol, Lisa thrusts herself into his life, sitting through Star Trek marathons with him and introducing him to her charming boyfriend Clark. Soon, all three teens are far closer than they thought they’d be, and when their walls fall down, their friendships threaten to collapse, as well.
A hilarious and heartwarming coming-of-age perfect for readers of Matthew Quick and Rainbow Rowell, Highly Illogical Behavior showcases the different ways we hide ourselves from the world—and how love, tragedy, and the need for connection may be the only things to bring us back into the light.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We fell in love with Solomon Reed, the shut-in teen hero of Highly Illogical Behavior. YA author John Corey Whaley’s funny, moving novel shifts between Solomon’s perspective and that of Lisa Praytor, a bubbly overachiever who decides that curing Solomon’s agoraphobia is her ticket to a college scholarship in psychology. There’s so much goodness and zippy dialogue in this fast-moving story of unlikely friendships, which includes references to Star Trek, Speedos, and Munchkin cards. In Solomon’s parents and grandmother, Whaley creates adult characters with an awe-inspiring capacity for compassionate love.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Solomon Reed, 16, suffers from acute anxiety and agoraphobia. He hasn't left his house since a panic attack in seventh grade, during which he stripped to his underwear seeking calm in the waters of a fountain outside his school. Former classmate Lisa an ambitious, straight-A type who "believed in herself maybe more than other people believed in God" hasn't forgotten him. In need of a subject for a scholarship essay about mental illness, she thrusts herself into Solomon's existence with a plan to "cure" him using some armchair cognitive behavior therapy. Solomon doesn't think he needs saving (or know about the essay), but he lets Lisa in, followed by her handsome boyfriend, Clark, who shares his interest in comic books, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and card games. Heartbreak ensues when Solomon falls for Clark. Printz Award winner Whaley (Where Things Come Back) again tackles heavy, heady topics with a light touch, populating his perceptive and quick-witted story with endearing, believably flawed teens. Solomon's parents and grandmother are refreshingly supportive, letting Solomon take the lead as he tests the possibility of re-entry. Ages 14 up.
