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Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Sunday, May 17, 2015


Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal.

Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up.
 

Goodreads Summary

I can't imagine what it must be like to wake up daily and question my own reality.  Alex is schizophrenic and regularly experiences a struggle with reality.  She is a tough character who has had a difficult time.  She can't trust what she believes to be true.  As the reader, I wasn't one hundred percent sure what was true or not.  I had to rely on what Alex saw and thought; I have to admit that there were many times I questioned her and many times I got swept up in the story and forgot that Alex freely admits that she isn't quite sure about her grip on reality.

The story had a plot filled with romance, intrigue, and mystery.  I liked that this book took a different take on the genre mystery.  The author managed to unfurl a mystery that existed solely in the main character's head.  I thought Miles's character was interesting if not a little annoying, at times.  I liked the tension between Alex and Miles; I really liked that the author didn't focus on the romance portion and chose to focus on Alex's schizophrenia and paranoia instead.  This book is recommended for young adult readers.

4 Stars

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