The Art of Insanity

August 8, 2022
High school senior Natalie Cardova, an artist, is used to keeping secrets. Most of them are little ones, such as replacing her brother’s beta fish with a new one so he wouldn’t find out that it died. But she’s also hiding one big personal truth: following an attempted suicide, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Convinced that “appearances are everything,” her mother insists that no one can know about Natalie’s BPD, because it will tank her friendships and ruin her shot at both becoming Homecoming queen and receiving scholarships to art school. But as Natalie juggles keeping her secret, a budding romance with sweet and disarming Ty, and an upcoming trip to Paris to participate in a prestigious art exhibition, she forgoes her medication: “I am not sick. Medications are for sick people,” she asserts. Even as she struggles to be emotionally vulnerable—both with herself and Ty—Natalie’s sharply drawn narrative voice provides levity and good humor. Debut author Webb draws from her own experience living with BPD to deliver a blistering portrayal of one teen’s attempts to seem “normal enough” while managing a mental disorder—and the stigma and stereotypes that often accompany it—amid increasingly overwhelming life changes. Most characters cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Emily Keyes, Fuse Literary.