Standalone Sunday: Highly Illogical Behaviour

Standalone Sunday is a weekly feature created by Megan at Bookslayer Reads which aims to showcase standalone books which you loved or would recommend.

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Highly Illogical Behaviour by John Corey Whaley

Sixteen year old Solomon has agoraphobia. He hasn’t left his house in three years, which is fine by him. At home, he is the master of his own kingdom—even if his kingdom doesn’t extend outside of the house.

Ambitious Lisa desperately wants to go to a top tier psychiatry program. She’ll do anything to get in.

When Lisa finds out about Solomon’s solitary existence, she comes up with a plan sure to net her a scholarship: befriend Solomon. Treat his condition. And write a paper on her findings. To earn Solomon’s trust, Lisa begins letting him into her life, introducing him to her boyfriend Clark, and telling him her secrets. Soon, Solomon begins to open up and expand his universe. But all three teens have grown uncomfortably close, and when their facades fall down, their friendships threaten to collapse as well.

After The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Highly Illogical Behaviour is one of the best books I’ve read that deals with mental illness. Solomon has agoraphobia, which is very different from Mikey’s OCD, but it was a topic that was wonderfully written and handled by the author. This is a story where the characters and the relationships really stand out. The relationship Solomon has with his parents is an incredibly supportive and understanding one, and the relationship Lisa, and later Clarke, builds with Solomon allows him to open up his world past the four walls of his home. The ending was a hopeful one more than anything else, but it was the perfect ending for this story and the characters.

“The world is big and scary and unforgiving. But we can survive out here. Solomon Reed did. I held his hands and we counted to ten and it was beautiful. He was an astronaut without a suit, but he was still breathing.”

You can check out my review for Highly Illogical Behaviour here.

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What did you think of Highly Illogical Behaviour? Have you read it yet or is it still on your to-read list? Let me know in the comments and let me know if you took part in this week’s Standalone Sunday as well.