Crazy

Fifteen-year-old loner Jason lives a precarious life with his mentally ill father, who thinks he is an Argonaut and wears tinfoil ear guards as he prepares for imminent attack from the Furies. When Jason was 6, his father tried to bury him alive, and his nightmares of suffocation continue to haunt him. Now that his mother has died from a stroke, Jason struggles to care for his needy father alone and with few resources. To help him cope, he creates a narrative with imaginary characters that include Crazy Glue, Sexy Lady, and sympathetic, nurturing Aunt Bee, of Mayberry fame. There's a laugh track, too, and Jason directly addresses the reader. As Jason finds support in group therapy, social services intervention, and a foster family, the voices in his head recede, and he becomes less fearful that he, too, is going crazy. A hopeful story with spot-on humor and a well-developed cast of characters.