It's Kind of a Funny Story

This is a difficult book to review. While I enjoyed it, I also felt sad while reading it, and I can't ignore the fact that this is inspired by the author's own experiences and that he lost to depression. It makes me feel incredibly sad.

It's Kind of a Funny Story is not a funny story—although there is some funny to it—it is an experience in itself, about how Craig, the main character, tries to cope with depression, to have a Shift, as he calls it. Don't expect a thrilling adventurous story, because that's not what you're going to get. This was rather slow paced, but it did keep me turning page after page.

Depression is a very serious illness and I appreciate how this book showed that it can affect anyone regardless of age or social background. It also dips into themes like drugs and sex from the perspective of a fifteen year old boy that I think is accurate and relatable. Actually, all of it is from the perspective of a fifteen year old boy.

I enjoyed reading the book, but it still makes me sad. I don't think that's a bad emotion, it's just a natural reaction to the story and its background.

Despite the heavy themes, It's Kind of a Funny Story has a hopeful note to it; things can get better, things are manageable, and can be tackled one by one.

Would I recommend reading this book? Yeah, I think I would. A lot of the readers, particularly those who deal(t) with depression, seem to have enjoyed reading it too (be warned there is mention of suicide), and for the ones who don't deal with it, it's a good book to familiarize ourselves with the topic, so yes, give it a go.