‘Turtles’ mental health focus resonates

“Turtles All the Way Down” might seem like an outlandish title for a book that is narrated by a teenage girl, yet it perfectly encapsulates the mental illness that the main character faces throughout the story.

Written by John Green and published in 2017, ‘Turtles’ is centered around Aza Holmes, who struggles with OCD and anxiety. The novel explores the relationship with her best friend, Daisy Ramirez, and Davis Pickett, the son of a billionaire whose father has recently gone missing.

The story itself is centered around Aza’s and Daisy’s search for Russell Pickett, a billionaire who went missing as accusations of fraud and bribery started to surround him. Their hope is to find the missing billionaire in order to get the $100,000 reward that is in store for the person who finds him. Aza reconnects with Russell’s son, Davis, whom she knew in her childhood. Soon enough, Davis and Aza begin to fall for each other as Davis deals with the disappearance of his father and the lingering pain of his mother’s death. The two of them try to find solace in their troubled pasts.

As the book continues, it becomes clear the real focus is the relationships that Aza forms and most importantly, her mental health. There are a lot of times in the book where she finds herself spiraling into her own thoughts where there seems to be no escape. She is prone to invasive thoughts that consists of infections and bacteria. Oftentimes, she wonders whether she’s even the author of her own story. Her mental health became terrible enough to the point where she keeps reopening a wound on her finger to “drain it” of an infection.

As the story progresses, however, hope becomes apparent for Aza.

While reading the book, it became clear that I was reading a deeply personal tale that couldn’t have been told by someone who hadn’t dealt with a mental illness of any sort. I found myself liking it more and more for how honest it was in its depiction of Aza’s mental health struggles.

I personally have not struggled much with my mental health, yet Aza’s struggles made it feel like I was there with her as she spiraled into thoughts that she would rather not get herself into. It also helps that the other characters in this novel are as believable as she. Daisy cares about Aza, but she sometimes finds it hard to understand her. Davis is concerned with taking care of his younger brother and protecting each other from the media that seek information on the whereabouts of his father.

The story that John Green created in this novel resonated with me in ways that I didn’t expect. The novel’s short length should be pleasing to readers who are looking for a compelling novel. Once again, many readers will find that John Green created a world that’s worth taking a look at.

Josias Modesto