Turtles All the Way Down

Green, John. Turtles All the Way Down. 2017. 286p. ISBN 978-0-525-55536-0. Available on the library shelves at FIC GRE.

Aza has problems. She’s worried she doesn’t really exist, and instead is a collection of bacteria that control her body. Deadly afraid of catching Clostridium Difficile (c. diff) or any other bacteria-caused disease, Aza obsesses on her stomach bacteria and has difficulty connecting to the world around her. Daisy, her best friend and Star Wars fanfiction writer, does enough talking for the both of them to keep many a conversation going.

When Daisy brings up the strange disappearance of billionaire entrepreneur Russell Pickett, Aza is not too interested. Russell Pickett vanished from his mansion, located across the river from Aza, during the night. Investigated for fraud and other white collar crimes, Pickett was rumored to be close to being indicted and taken to court. His disappearance has left shareholders, the public, and his own family confused. Did he run away? If so, why hasn’t he contacted his own sons? Daisy pushes the issue, however, for Aza and Davis Pickett spent time together when they were younger, and there is a $100,000 reward for any information leading to Russell Pickett. With that kind of money, both girls would be a long way towards affording college.

Aza can’t focus on this case, however. Davis, like her, suffers on the inside. He misses his father, and he has to act as his brother’s dad. He always feels under surveillance by the mansion’s staff. He’d rather spend time gazing at the stars than worrying about what is happening here on Earth. Aza’s problems also plague her daily existence. Trips to her psy do not ease her worries, and her medication is not working properly, perhaps because Aza is not consistently taking it. Either way, both of them are lost, and they have found each other again.

With the entire Pickett estate scheduled to go Robert’s favorite pet, a tuatara, resolving the disappearance of the man would lead to economic hardships for his sons, but freedom from the worries. For Aza, there is no such freedom from her own thoughts, which spiral inwards ever so tightly. As Davis and Aza attempt to deal with their issues, the world continues to move. Will they manage to escape their dreadful spirals?

The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone

Griffin, Adele. The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone. 2014. 256p. ISBN 978-1-61695-361-4. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Addison Stone was one of the most brilliant artist of her generation. Blazing a light through the art world, she exploded on the scene after her junior year of high school and moved to New York City, where she ultimately died in an accident unfurling artwork high above a bridge. Told by the people who knew Addison, as well as from her own words collected through interviews, the reader explores the tormented life of someone who clearly suffered from schizophrenia. We read about her rebel life and her unwillingness to bend to the rules. Her parents struggle through their marriage, and her brother, who loved her very much, tries to help. The only time Addison feels like herself is when she is working on her art.

Discovered by her art teacher in high school, she enters and wins prestigious state and national awards, and signs up with an unscrupulous art dealer. With more money than she knows what to do with, she moves to New York City where she encounters rich Zach, the son of one of her art dealer’s wealthier client, and they madly fall in love. The relationship strains, however, and Addison jettisons Zach for Lincoln, a fellow artist. Zach can’t let go, however, and he begins plaguing Addison’s life. She returns the favor by burning down his cottage in the Hamptons.

As her life struggles escalate, Addison sinks even further into mental illness, and Lincoln finds himself unable to help her. Addison is just too much, even for the people who love her. A rebel to the end, we will never know what she could have accomplished. Was her death a preventable accident, or was it murder? Neither Zach nor Lincoln are speaking, but after reading through countless interviews and careful documentation, the reader can only reach one conclusion ...