Highly Illogical Behavior

Whaley, John Corey. Highly Illogical Behavior. 2016. 256p. ISBN 0525428186. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Solomon has not left in house in three years. Suffering from severe panic attacks, he had a meltdown in middle school, and the only way to relieve the stress was to lay down in the fountain. That was Solomon’s last day outside. Now sixteen, Solomon lives at home, attends virtual school, and is fascinated by board games and Star Trek: The Next Generation reruns on television. His parents worked with him but they have pretty given up on him ever leaving the house. With his grandmother as the only visitor, Solomon leads a quiet life. And as far as he is concerned, that’s the life he wants to lead.

Lisa wants to get in the second best psychology program in the country, in a university on the East Coast. She plans on submitting an original essay that explains her personal connection with mental illness, but what could she write about? Winning this contest would provide her with a full scholarship and her ticket out of Upland, California. She comes upon a clever solution she she discovers that Solomon has not left his house in three years. She will become his friend, help him get better and hopefully get him outside his home. This will make incredible writing and compelling reading.

Lisa thus contacts Solomon, and he reluctantly accepts to meet with her. Soon, Clark, Lisa’s boyfriend, joins them and the three of them grow inseparable. But as Clark and Solomon, who came out to Lisa, become closer, Lisa begins to feel like a third wheel. Solomon appears willing to take more risks, and is even looking forward to the swimming pool his grandmother is building in the backyard. At the same time, however, Lisa’s life seems to spin out of control and she fears she’s losing her boyfriend to Solomon. With lies underpinning the basis of their relationship, can Solomon, Clark, and Lisa live a happily ever after?