Sara And The Search For Normal is exactly that. A thirteen-year-old girl’s search and attempts to become “normal”. Sara suffers from anxiety and panic attacks and is desperately trying to “beat” her illness as she wants to live a normal life. This novel for teenagers comes from Canadian author Wesley King, who is also the author of OCDaniel, which is a coming-of-age story about a boy with OCD. However, you don’t need to have read OCDaniel to read Sara And The Search For Normal!
Sara goes to group therapy which is where she becomes friends with the very talkative Erin. Sara has a list of rules that she tries to follow which she believes are what “normal” people do. Number 19 is “make a friend”, so she goes with it. Erin understands Sara doesn’t talk much and she is chatty enough to take the lead. At the same time, Sara decides to push her social boundaries more with a boy she meets in the park named James. She is also trying to get out of her special class lessons at school and go back into the main classroom. The book follows Sara’s growing friendship with Erin, and the ups and downs as she tries to tick things off from her list. Throughout the story, Sara refers to her panic attacks, depressive symptoms, and schizophrenic episodes as games, because it gives the impression that she might “win”. The way this is explained helps the reader understand exactly how she is feeling, and fellow anxiety suffers might relate.
The pace of the book is fair, I found it slow in some parts, but I am mindful that I am older than the main target audience. It does try to include a variety of different issues, such as mental health, along with a family member’s drinking habits, and a young person dealing with bereavement. It also includes family arguments, separation, and abuse. I would perhaps say it’s maybe too much too soon, or too much at once and perhaps some of these topics would lend themselves better to separate books where they could be explored more.
The message the book gives tries to be a positive one. Whilst Sara sometimes engages in behaviour that is not always “good” or “right”, it comes from a place of trying to do the right thing. When a character is in danger, the book strongly reinforces the idea that a trusted adult should be involved. This is good for a book intended towards teens, as it shows that they do not have to suffer alone, it’s okay to ask for help, and sometimes it is necessary to involve adults. It also explores the importance of friendship and forgiveness. I’m sure we have all felt the pain and conflicted emotions when we fall out or argue with a friend. The book shows how important it is to make up, but also stand your ground. Another uplifting message that you can take away from the story is self-acceptance. Sara wants so much to get “better” but she also needs to learn to love herself too.
If I had to make one slightly critical comment, it would be the author’s perception of young teenage girls. Both girls are portrayed as starting to show romantic interest in boys. This is fine, but Erin and Sara seem to talk a lot about boys, fawn over Ryan Gosling movies, and wear makeup to go to the cinema to watch romance movies. When I was 13, boys were not even on myself or my friends’ agenda, let alone would we want to go to the cinema, or watch movies just to ogle some much older actor. I am just speaking on behalf of my own experience here. I feel it would have been nicer to see less of a stereotypical “girly” hobby. Girls can be “normal” and form relationships and spend time with each other and hang out doing things other than discussing boys.
Overall, this is a good book for teenagers, it explains mental health in a way that’s easy to understand. People that struggle with mental health like Sara does will relate to it and feel understood. Those that don’t personally experience mental health issues will be able to get a glimpse of what life is like for those that do. We need books like Sara And The Search For Normal. They are good at starting conversations about mental health and I hope they would lead to younger teenagers being able to treat each other with a little more compassion.
Also, there is a handful of Harry Potter references for those that are Harry Potter fans!
Sara and the Search For Normal is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 2nd 2020.
Will you be picking up Sara and the Search For Normal? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
In this prequel to OCDaniel, Sara quests for “normal” and finds something even better along the way.
Sara’s Rules to be Normal
1. Stop taking your pills
19. Make a friend
137. Don’t put mayonnaise on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Sara wants one thing: to be normal. What she has instead are multiple diagnoses from Dr. Ring. Sara’s constant battle with False Alarm—what she calls panic attacks—and other episodes cause her to isolate herself. She rarely speaks, especially not at school, and so she doesn’t have any friends. But when she starts group therapy she meets someone new. Talkative and outgoing Erin doesn’t believe in “normal,” and Sara finds herself in unfamiliar territory: at the movies, at a birthday party, and with someone to tell about her crush—in short, with a friend. But there’s more to Erin than her cheerful exterior, and Sara begins to wonder if helping Erin will mean sacrificing their friendship.
