I Crawl Through It

I Crawl Through It follows four high school seniors navigating trauma and standardized testing pressures in a surreal world. Gustav builds an invisible helicopter, China turns herself inside out, Stanzi wears a lab coat and dissects everything, and Patricia tells lies that become truth. The teens deal with bomb threats at school, complex family dynamics, and personal losses while searching for ways to cope and heal. Their reality bends and shifts as they process their experiences, leading to encounters with a bush man who trades letters for kisses and other strange phenomena. The story blends magical realism with raw emotion, using fractured narratives and metaphors to explore how young people handle crisis and pain. The novel challenges conventional storytelling while examining themes of truth, identity, and the impact of trauma on perception.

Readers describe this book as surreal, experimental, and challenging to follow. Many note it requires multiple readings to piece together the metaphors and abstract narrative style. Positive reviews highlight: - Raw, honest portrayal of teenage trauma and anxiety - Creative symbolism that captures emotional truths - Unique structure that mirrors characters' fractured mental states - Validation for readers processing their own trauma Common criticisms: - Too abstract and confusing to connect with - Narrative feels disjointed and hard to follow - Metaphors seem forced or overly complex - Style overshadows the underlying story Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (3,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4/5 (80+ ratings) Reader quote: "Either you'll put this down after 50 pages or you'll devour it in one sitting. There's no in-between." - Goodreads reviewer Many readers note this book works best for those who appreciate experimental fiction and are willing to embrace uncertainty in storytelling.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller A nonlinear war narrative uses absurdism and dark humor to process trauma and critique institutional systems.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid Magical doors transport refugees between countries in this tale of displacement and identity that blends surrealism with political reality.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender A girl who tastes emotions in food navigates family secrets through magical realism and metaphor.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray A teenager with mad cow disease embarks on a hallucinatory road trip that questions reality and explores mortality.

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman A boy's descent into mental illness parallels an imagined journey to the ocean's deepest point through fragmented narratives and symbolic imagery.

🔍 A.S. King wrote this surrealist novel in response to the increasing frequency of school bomb threats and lockdown drills in American schools. 🎨 The book's non-linear narrative structure mirrors the fragmented way trauma affects memory and perception. 💭 The invisible helicopter in the story was inspired by King's own childhood experiences of telling fantastical stories as a coping mechanism. 🏆 The novel received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews and was named one of the Best Books of 2015 by Publishers Weekly. 🎓 The character Gustav's obsession with building an invisible helicopter reflects King's interest in how teenagers create elaborate escape mechanisms when dealing with trauma and anxiety.