Faking Normal By: Courtney C. Stevens
Faking Normal is an incredible story. It explores the emotional struggles of a girl who’s having trouble identifying her own experiences, and how she feels about them. The author Courtney C. Stevens herself, went through a situation similar to that of the main character Alexi. These experiences help bring the book to life with a vibrant realism that would be hard to find in other novels. Alexi’s way of dealing with her experiences is similar to those found in other books of a similar storyline (ie. Exit Pursued By A Bear, Asking For It, Speak, and The Way I Used To Be). However, her experiences are different enough from other novels, that it makes the book worth reading; It’s definitely not a “copycat” book.
One of my favorite things about the novel, is that it leaves you guessing until the very end. Readers have no idea what happened to Alexi; even when you think you do, you still don’t. One of my least favorite things, is the way the author uses the character Bodee in the text. He went through so much suffering and trauma, it could have filled an entire second book. He shouldn’t have just been portrayed as a supporting character; he should have had more of his own story. I feel that perhaps too much focus was placed on Alexi, it made Bodee seem almost...artificial.
I recommend this book to high school level students or mature eighth graders. Alexi and Bodee’s experiences are both very, very real. I believe it is books like these that are helping to pave the way to a more educated an alert future. I believe the book is worth reading even just for the author’s letter in the back of the book to the reader.
