I'm not sure what I make of this one. On the one hand I appreciated the topics this book chose to cover, but on the other it felt disjointed and I feel the book would have thrived if the focus had just been on one or a few of these things. I don't know if it's own voices in any way (or all ways) but it just felt like we had a bunch of topics thrown at us but with little thought into actual execution and so it fell flat for me, sadly.

Perhaps there are people out there that will connect and appreciate the style and I'd definitely be interested to know what anyone with similar experiences as P feels. I feel harsh rating it low as I am aware it could be my ignorance but I feel I have to rate it based on my enjoyment and sadly, it wasn't for me and I had to DNF

"The Lost Language of Crazy by [Author's Name] is a book that grapples with several important themes, including mental illness, identity, and diversity, but it often falls short of its potential. The book follows the story of Penelope, a young writer with dreams of expressing herself and tackling complex subjects through her work.

One of the book's primary issues lies in its inconsistent writing style, which fluctuates between an extremely juvenile and exclamation-heavy tone when in Penelope's voice, and overly complex psychiatric excerpts that are difficult for the average twelve-year-old to comprehend. This inconsistency can be jarring and disrupts the reading experience. Additionally, the book fails to handle traumatic experiences, an essential aspect of any young adult book, with the necessary sensitivity, leaving readers wanting.

Furthermore, the book doesn't seem to promote faith in therapy and medication as effective solutions for mental health issues, instead implying that recovery is a matter of magic or personal strength, which can be misleading and harmful.

The use of the word 'crazy' as it relates to mental illness is acknowledged but not adequately addressed. Given the book's focus on mental health, one might expect it to challenge the stigma surrounding this term and encourage the use of alternative, more sensitive language. However, the author merely describes the various meanings of 'crazy' without diving deeper into the issue.

On the positive side, the book does include diverse characters who are queer, people of color, immigrants, and individuals dealing with mental illness. However, the way these characters are portrayed often feels forced and didactic, making it seem as though the story is checking off boxes rather than providing a realistic and inclusive representation.

The book briefly touches on the concept of consent, but it's not given the attention and depth such a vital topic deserves. The treatment of mental illness, specifically schizophrenia, is problematic as it conflates schizophrenia with Multiple Personality Disorder. This misunderstanding can perpetuate confusion and stigma surrounding these mental health conditions, which is unfortunate, given the book's potential to inform and foster empathy.

The story, while promising in its premise, falls short in execution. The ambitious inclusion of numerous complex themes, including schizophrenia, transgender issues, identity, mental illness, trauma, religion, therapy, and more, makes the narrative feel chaotic and overwhelming. The writing style adds to the disarray, contributing to a confusing reading experience.

In summary, The Lost Language of Crazy has its heart in the right place, aiming to address critical issues in young adult literature. However, the inconsistent writing style, inadequate handling of sensitive topics, and oversaturation of themes hinder its potential.

2.5/5 rating

hmm... this book....

First of all, I have to address the writing style, much like a lot of other readers have made comment on. I would hope that the way it's written was intentional to reflect the mind of the young protagonist, however, as adult reading this book, I struggled phenomenally.

I very nearly DNF'd, however with books that promote diversity and speak out towards mental health, it was important to me to finish this book. Do I think it's a great example of writing for youth mental health...? No, I don't, but I admire that this book is out there in the world and it's promoting that message.

My honest opinion about the book is that I believe that it was sent for publishing a little too early. I really think the characters and the overall storyline needed more fleshing out to really hit the mark that the premise was trying to deliver.

I think the choppy writing was on purpose but like many other reviewers, it just made it too difficult to follow and I was not enjoying myself so I had to DNF. I think maybe if the choppiness had not been so extreme, the author could’ve gotten the point of the format across without it ruining the reading experience.

This book really exceeded my expectations.

Many topics are covered which are vital to be discussed with not only young people but EVERYONE. Mental health, isolation, sexuality, loss of sense of self. The novel follows a scattered, fragmented stream-of-consciousness form at times which I LOVE. Our thoughts aren't linear, especially when suffering with mental health issues.

I wish it wasn't such a brief snapshot to be honest - Laskin is clearly a writer to watch!

I am not going to sugar-coat it: The Lost Language of Crazy has some major problems, the greatest of which is that the writing style varies wildly, and is not always appropriate - or even accessible - to the presumed age group (early-YA). The majority of the book, when in Penny/Pilar’s voice, is extremely juvenile and very exclamation-y. That may be okay for her age group, although possibly TOO juvenile.

On the other hand, the psychiatric excerpts are way, WAY beyond the comprehension of the average twelve-year-old, and do not at all further the story. In fact, it is repetitive and jarring.

Parts of Pilar’s experiences are extremely traumatic, and when addressed in a YA book, it needs to be done with sensitivity. I don’t see much of that at all. I also don’t see much faith in therapy and medication - the implication seems to be that Pilar eventually “magically” becomes better.

Disturbingly, the use of the word “crazy”, while noted, is not truly addressed. One might think that a book about mental illness would address the stigma and insensitivity of the word, and encourage alternative words instead. It is, after all, a book about a young writer. Instead, the author simply describes the various meanings of “crazy”.

One thing in the book’s favour is inclusivity. Characters in this book are queer, POC, immigrants, and mentally ill. However, I don’t think it was really necessary to make EACH of those characters a focal point. Minority characters are allowed to be part of a story without ALL having their lives described in detail. Otherwise, it comes off as checking boxes instead of being realistic and inclusive.

The concept of consent briefly appears (perhaps as an added stressor in Pilar's life?), but for such an important topic, it is really rushed.

Finally, my biggest gripe is the way in which mental illness, and specifically schizophrenia, is described. Schizophrenia IS NOT Multiple Personality Disorder. Please read that again. This is a commonly made mistake, but something I expect an author and editor to pick up on before they write/publish about it. The way in which these illnesses are described add to the confusion and stigma, rather than informing young people in order for them to be more empathic. And the way in which the question of whether Pilar might inherit her mother's illness is handled, is frankly irresponsible. Schizophrenia has a major genetic component, and no amount of "strength" can change that. Whether Pilar might inherit her mother's illness is a much more nuanced issue. It is one thing to describe Pilar's distress and fears around that; it is another thing entirely to presume to answer it in the novel.

I am a huge fan of books that address mental illness, especially for younger age groups, but they have a huge responsibility to be safe, sensitive, and accurate. The Lost Language of Crazy does not achieve that.

I found this book incredibly hard to read. Not because of the content but because of the way it was written. I found myself so confused and having to go back and re-read sentences so I could understand what was happening.
There was also a lot going on and the elements of the plot felt crammed with too many things. I think this book just wasn't for me but it doesn’t mean it won’t be for someone else. Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and author for a chance to read and review this book.

This was so well written. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations. I would definitely recommend to others.

I enjoyed this book but some parts more than others. Indeed, I don’t know if I was in a different mood or if it was just because of the story, but I enjoyed the first half much more than the second one.
The first half was more about setting the scene and letting the reader get to know the characters, the context for next events. It was quite poetic and I enjoyed it. The second half was quite different. The author focused on Penny and her losing her voice. It made Penny quite unlikeable in my opinion. There was also a lot of focus also around the word “crazy” and its different meaning. I felt like maybe this was pushed too much.
I recommend this book to people looking for a read about voices and craziness.
2.5/5

Is it possible to wake up one day and be emptied of words? For a writer, this would be an unimaginable nightmare, but for any of us, this would be a terrifying ordeal. What happens when we lose our voice? On the flip side, what happens when we are plagued with many voices?

THE LOST LANGUAGE OF CRAZY explores the terrain of mental illness from the point of view of its twelve-year-old narrator, Penny, who has grown up believing her mother is dead. The novel opens with the protagonist's desire to finish writing a play, which she is incapable of doing, since she does not know how the play ends, while her best friend, formerly a girl, yearns to play the dad. This is a story about words and language; gender confusion and the secrets surrounding it; silence and lies; mental illness and a writer's journey.

Central to the book is the premise that we all have deeply buried selves, and these burials create a mental instability, which becomes the narrative we bring to the world.
This book was a great insight into mental illness

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

I thought I would read this book much faster than I did, but unfortunately, the story didn't captivate me enough, I just finished it because it was a small book.
It's not a bad story, maybe it wasn't for me, I think some people might like it because the concept of this book is very interesting but I thought the author didn't know how to execute it. We have in this book very important topics such as schizophrenia, transgender, identity, mental illness, trauma, religion, therapy, and a lot more and I feel like the author tries to put everything in this book, some things work others didn't.
I didn't like the author's writing either, for this book is a mess, it has a chaotic vibe to it, but not in a totally bad way.
Is a different book go in it with an open mind!

Unfortunately, I don't enjoy this book at all. Maybe I'm just not the right target audience for this.

Too much in one book and the main character's essentialism made her age really hard to place. Was the voice too young? Too old?

i was so excited for this book, because that premise just sounds so promising! i can see what the author was trying to do with this book and give depth to the representation in the story of this 13-year-old girl, which i love to see. but sadly, this just didn't work for me at all. the execution fell flat because exploring the themes the book attempted to was too simplistic. we needed a larger scope. at times i felt frustrated by how little we got, but i understand it was somewhat intentional (?) however, it just wasn't for me.

- thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Atmosphere Press for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley. All views remain my own.

I was really keen to check this book out, especially after seeing the premise. There are a lot of themes just mentioned in the blurb, themes which, honestly, it’s great to see explored within Middle Grade and YA, but to me, The Lost Language of Crazy really failed to hit the mark.

Penelope is a thirteen-year-old girl who dreams of being a writer. At the start of the book, she explains she changes her name regularly, trying on different ones to find ones that fit. For a large part of the book, she is known as ‘Pilar’ to various people. P has won an award for a play based on her and her father, but it doesn’t have an ending and she feels pressured when her teacher discusses the future performance. P wants to play the dad, but the teacher says she can’t do that. When P discovers a secret about her past and her parents, she loses her voice, and finds herself unable to communicate.

To start, I want to say I can how the author really is trying with this book, and is striving towards diverse representation. However, it felt like the book was too simplistic to get into any of the sort of in-depth exploration these themes really deserve. A lot of it, too, read as if it was set in the 80s or 90s, when it’s supposed to be present day. Just the way some of the characters interact and deal with certain issues, especially when it came to mental health, felt more akin to the reception and treatment of mental health in decades past rather than the last 15 years.

P’s best friends are a young Muslim girl and a young trans boy, though the word trans, as far as I recall, is never used. He is also consistently referred to by the protagonist by his deadname, as in, “…when he used to be…” or as “when he used to be a girl…”. As for her best friend, there’s a lot of references to her not wanting to wear her hijab, but this is so little explored it feels almost squeezed in. It feels like there were just a lot of instances where a little more research into some harmful tropes could have been beneficial.

I think a lot of this book could have been really strengthened by that extra leg of research, a bit more exploration into the characters, and even by setting it fifteen, twenty years previously. There’s a very…seemingly outdated view of a psychiatric facility, and the treatment of certain illnesses. It all feels a bit over the place. The style itself is a bit jumbled as a way of conveying P’s own mindset, but often this is at a detriment to the story itself.

I usually try to find the good in books, the things I liked that others might be drawn to more than I was. Unfortunately, there’s little I really liked in this book. I do think the author is trying very hard to bring attention to mental health issues, especially in Middle Grade, and it’s definitely a theme that needs more exploration in this age range, but too much of this book came off as clumsy and poorly researched.

I hate being disappointed by a book with a good premise. Gah. There was so much here that had promise and I really wanted it to be a good exploration of mental illness in youth. Unfortunately, the execution fell very flat for me.

The topics covered are very important and there were certainly some good messages explored and some difficult circumstances addressed. I just felt that the meat of the story wasn't full enough and the central focus got a little watered down by too much packed into a small story. Though it started off strong for me, things got overwhelming near the middle mark and the ending felt like it was a bit of too many things thrown in a pot too fast. It spun off in a way where the story felt rushed and the careful exploration of the topics was lost.

The writing style was also a bit difficult for me. The voice sometimes felt overly childish despite the middle grade/younger young adult set audience. It felt too basic and occasionally cheesy, with the "crazy" analysis going over-the-top and really just unfortunately becoming annoying and a detractor from the story. The use of the medical chart information also took me out of the story and made things more of a tell vs. show experience. There were also a few things with regard to the experiences and independence of Penny and her friends that felt unbelievable. The characters sometimes did things that were well beyond their age group and these things were very apparent to me.

The characters had promise and I really wanted to root for Penny, but as soon as the story of her mother became involved, I felt like the focus got a little blurred. I understand the intentions behind this story line, but I think it could have been handled in a way where Penny stood more at the forefront and her exploration of her history and own mental health could have taken up more bulk.

For me, this felt like the case of a book sent to early to publishing. It needed a bit more fleshing out and a bit more scrutiny to make it believable, authentic, and powerful in its impact. A story like Penny's is one I'm interested in and one I think is important. This execution just didn't do what I needed it to.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

Confusing and a bit jumbled. Hard to follow at times. Obviously meant for younger audiences. The synopsis also didn’t line up with what actually happened in the book, which added to the confusion.

I'd like to thank net galley for sending me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review of the book.

The lost language of crazy is a book filled with representation and deals with the topics of mental health in a wonderful way, The main character was lovable and so was the author's writing. While it did take me a while to actually finish the book it was quite an enjoyable read,

“Sometimes in life you just have to eat the eggplant Parmesan, even when you don’t want to, because you love the person who made it.”

This might be one of the best depictions of trauma I’ve ever read?? I finished this book in under 4 hours.

This book follows a 13 year old Penny/Pilar, stuck in a world of judgement, identity crisis and change. She is learning who she is, who her friends are, secrets about her parents, and struggling with becoming a writer. Her play is going to be performed not the way she envisioned it. Her small voice isn’t being heard, until she no longer has a voice.

So let me break down how many hurdles this book covers. You get to see how religion in young people trickles down from their parents, and how they struggle with their own religious beliefs. How teens accept a fellow transgender youth. A very difficult situation of being guilted for not “liking” a transgender individual not because they are trans, but just because you don’t have feelings for them. How immigrants are treated in the American work system, even when they have years of background and experience in their home country.

Dealing with mental illness through therapy. Acknowledging it doesn’t always work but you have to put in the effort. How your parents mental illness can or can’t effect you. Will you have the same struggles? Learning how to be strong for other people who are hurting, and knowing when you must step back and help yourself. When someone is not themself anymore, lost to mental illness, when they don’t know you most days. Disordered eating as a result of anxiety, as a way to punish your body. Comparing traumas because you are using anger as a coping mechanism. Dealing with all of this at just the age of 13. The list is endless.

So obviously this is a lot, I took so many notes because some of these topics hit so close to home. There is a situation I mentioned previously that I was in personally, I won’t share, but having an author write about this was just so validating and rewarding.

Even though the main character is only 13, it does not feel like a YA novel. I think teens could easily read this and learn a lot. It’s absolutely an emotional roller coaster, but you come out learning more then when you began.

I cannot recommend this book enough when it is published. I was shaken to my core and knew that only after a few chapters, it was a 5 star for me.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost Language of Crazy was an interesting book to dive into. It definitely dove into mental health/illness but it also dove into a person's identity. After meeting Penny, it was pretty obvious how unique she was. I've never known someone who would choose a new name for them whenever they wanted. So I really thought it was pretty interesting and I wanted to get to know her more.

I honestly wasn't expecting so much representation throughout this book. I liked how we dove into schizophrenia. Especially when we dove into her visiting her mother. Other than that, I liked her found family in a way. It was refreshing how everyone she surrounded herself with just went with the new name change like that. Zero hesitation whatsoever.

Then once she goes into selective mutism, well, her friends try to do anything to get her to speak. Even her own dad did. They missed her being her and didn't really know what to do. Eventually she did speak but I liked how no one truly gave up on her no matter what.

In the end, I did end up liking the book. I just think some of the book got jumbled up for me but I'm sure there was a reason for how it was written those ways. I'll definitely have to dive into this again when it's less hectic in my life. Maybe I'll see it in a different light.