A Compulsion of Clues

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is something we all joke about having at times, but none of us really understand the extent of its control over its victims. The need to tap, count, and pay homage to rituals can be completely debilitating, and very few people understand it completely. Kate Ellison's breakout novel The Butterfly Clues explores the life of a girl who is consumed by her compulsions until the murder of a young girl in the wrong part of town becomes her biggest obsession.


Lo (short for Penelope), taps, counts, and believes in the power of numbers, not because she chooses to, but because she has to. She survives life by just getting by and trying to blend in, not letting many people know the true nature of her needs and compulsions. When a young stripper is murdered right in front of Lo, she feels a connection to the girl and a compulsion to find the murderer. Along her path, she can't help but think of her own brother who succumbed to drugs on the very streets the stripper, Sapphire, met her grizzly end. 


As Lo gets deeper into the case, she meets a young homeless guy named Flynt who agrees to help her traverse the mean streets of Neverland. She finds herself in the crosshairs of the killer and despite the warnings and attacks on other people involved in Sapphire's life, Lo can't stop herself from finding redemption for the stripper she had never met. She knows there is more to the story than the police care to investigate, and she refuses to stop hunting until she finds the truth. What she fails to recognize, however, is that the people involved will do anything to keep the truth from coming to the surface.


I struggled with this book a little at the beginning. Vital information was withheld from the reader until a good 1/3 of the way through the book, like what was going on with her brother and her compulsions. I don't think all of it needed to be kept so secret for as long as it did since it was vital to the character development of Lo and the understanding of the purpose behind the story. That being said, once I understood this important background information, the story became really interesting. It opened up and I was able to get invested in Lo's quirky character. The intertwined story of Lo's brother and Sapphire was one that adds something unique and wonderful to the mystery. It truly is the story of a girl who nobody understands finding someone who doesn't care why she is different but loves her differences unconditionally. 


This is a mature story not for graphic sexual content (although Sapphire is a stripper and Lo goes to the strip club a few times to investigate). I think it is a mature book due to the complexity of Lo's character and how she interacts with the people in her life and the world around her. An immature reader will lose themselves in her eccentricities and not get to the heart of a girl with a disorder she cannot control. Also, the confusion at the beginning of the story might lose a weaker reader where a strong reader could barrel through it in order to get to the heart of this interesting story. I really loved Ellison's characters and look forward to seeing more from her. And don't forget, Kate Ellison and Lauren Oliver will be at Oblong Books and Music in Rhinebeck for the Hudson Valley YA Society event on March 2, 2012 at 6pm! I will be there... will you?!

Don't Step on any Cracks

Can you imagine living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)? You would be a slave to your compulsions and it would control your life. Step On a Crack, Break Your Mother's Back. Simple saying could overtake a simple walk home from school. OCD is a disorder we think we know something about, but we have no idea what goes on inside the mind of someone suffering from OCD... that is, until Matt Blackstone's book, A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie.

When Rene gets nervous, he sniffs his left hand. Only his left hand. When he gets upset, the Batman cape comes out. He can't step on cracks or something horrible will happen to someone he loves. Rene has OCD. Not a pleasant affliction when you are expected to walk the halls of the high school jungle every day. But Rene knows if he can get a friend, just one friend, his life will become infinitely better. When he finally puts himself out there, he manages to meet a pretty interesting young man named Gio. Gio lives his life to the fullest each and every moment. He has the kind of carefree lifestyle Rene would kill for, or step on a crack for.

Armed with Gio's support, Rene finds himself coming out of his compulsive shell. He even stands up to one of the school bullies in order to protect his favorite teacher, Mr. Head (Mr. Richard Head). When his absentee father Phil reappears, Rene finally loses it- with Gio's help, he does something he never would have thought of doing before... he runs away. On an impromptu adventure to New York City, Gio and Rene attempt to answer some very deep questions... and some not so deep questions too!

Years ago I read a book about a teen girl with OCD named Kissing Doorknobs. It was touching, funny, and so very sad. I was expecting something similar from this book, but I didn't get the same feeling. The main character seemed to have Aspberger's more than OCD. He definitely had some compulsions and obsessions (like his inability to do anything at a time that added up to 13), but his actions didn't strike me as particularly OCD. I also struggled with the plot. I actually put this book down twice and read two entire books in the duration of trying to finish this book. The plot faltered and seemed forced at many times. It was as if Blackstone had a vision in mind, but wasn't sure where it needed to go.

The book is appropriate for any junior high or high school student, but I don't think I would recommend it to many kids. If they were interested in OCD, I would give them Kissing Doorknobs before I gave them this book. If they were looking for a fun, interesting book, I have tons of other books I would give them before this one. Sadly, it just wasn't what I was hoping for. Matt Blackstone is going to be at Oblong Books and Music for the Hudson Valley YA Society event next Sunday in Rhinebeck. I am interested to hear him read the book aloud- hopefully I am mistaken about this book and there is more to it!