Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Turtles All the Way Down is a powerful portrayal of mental illness. Green captures the essence of being anxiety drawn and having OCD compulsion. As someone who has battled anxiety and panic attacks for over a decade, I can tell you that the circling thoughts that spiral from the main character are true to form. To date this is one of the best fiction novels I have read dealing with anxiety disorder. I see a great deal of myself in the main character, Aza.

Aza is sixteen years old and suffers from anxiety and compulsions. Daisy is Aza's best friend and a Star Wars fan-fiction writer. Davis is a friend from childhood with whom Aza reconnects with following the disappearance of his billionaire father.

Daisy and Aza attempt to solve the disappearance of the billionaire but along the way they, Aza in particular forms a bond with Davis and through this bond the readers are able to get a truer glimpse of the inside of Aza's mind and mental illness.

The relationships in this novel are interesting and entertaining. I love the way Green deals and details Aza's thought process but what I also enjoy is that Green also covers what it is like to be a friend or family member of someone who suffers from anxiety and OCD because it isn't easy to be on that end of the spectrum.

I do enjoy the story but I could have done without the mystery of the billionaire it just didn't showcase Green's best work and didn't add anything to it but don't let that stop you from picking up this book.