For a novel about depression, it’s definitely a funny story. Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleeping-until, one night, he nearly kills himself.Ĭraig’s suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety. ITS KIND OF A FUNNY STORY By Ned Vizzini. Rather than easing into the darker aspects of his material, he confronts Craigs suicidal and depressive tendencies from the first chapter on. Determined to succeed at life-which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job-Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That’s when things start to get crazy.Īt his new school, Craig realizes that he isn't brilliant compared to the other kids he’s just average, and maybe not even that. 'Its Kind of a Funny Story' may seem like an odd title for a book with such weighty themes as adolescent depression and 'suicidal ideation,' until you recall the last time you burst out laughing at a solemn or. Vizzini begins Its Kind of a Funny Story in a manner that may surprise some readers. Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan’s Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future.
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