ELLIE HAYCOCK IS TOTALLY NORMAL, by Gretchen Schreiber, Wednesday Books, March 5, 2024, Hardcover, $20 (young adult)
Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal, by Gretchen Schreiber, follows a teen as she struggles to balance her “normal” and “hospital” lives.
Ellie Haycock has always separated her life into sections: Ellie at home and Ellie at the hospital. At home, Ellie is a proud member of her high school’s speech and debate team alongside her best friend and her boyfriend. At the hospital, Ellie has a team of doctors and a mom who won’t stop posting about the details of her illness online. It’s not hard for Ellie to choose which of the two she prefers.
But this latest hospital stay is different. Ellie becomes close with a group of friends, including Ryan, a first-timer who’s still optimistic about the doctors that Ellie stopped trusting years ago. Despite their differences, she can’t seem to keep him out of her head. Ellie’s life has never been ordinary―but maybe this time it will be extraordinary. —Synopsis provided by Wednesday Books
At the beginning of Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal author Gretchen Schreiber has included a note explaining how Ellie’s medical story is based on her own experiences facing a mysterious illness.
She goes on to say “I made a vow to myself not to sugarcoat the hospital/medical experience…. That also means this book goes to some heavy places…. I know these things can be hard to read when you also have to deal with them in real life, so if you need to skip my book — that’s okay.”
It is advice readers should heed. As the sibling of someone who was sick my entire life, I also struggled reading Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal. There were times I had to walk away. Ultimately, I finished it, and I’m glad I did. It’s heavy and hard, empowering and beautiful. It’s honest and painful, too. You need to be in the right head space to read it.
At the heart of Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal is the theme of trust — trusting doctors to get things right; parents that they have your best interest at heart; friends who are going to be there for you no matter what; and yourself to do the same for others. Schreiber is thoughtful in her exploration of this and what “normal” really means. It’s a deeply personal book that stays with you long after completion.
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