It's Kind of a Funny Story

It’s Kind of a Funny Story was Ned Vizzini’s second Young Adult novel, published by Hyperion in 2006. It is a critically acclaimed Young Adult novel and coming-of-age story that was given a starred review by the American Librarians Association and adapted into a film of the same name (2010).

Content Warning: This novel and study guide include topics and themes that may be sensitive for some readers, including suicide, mental health, and references to illicit drug use and sexual abuse.

Vizzini wrote the novel immediately after he was hospitalized for depression in 2004. The novel is written from the first-person perspective of its protagonist, Craig Gilner, who checks himself into the hospital after contemplating suicide. The novel takes place over his five day stay, showing his development and growing self-awareness as he navigates his mental illness, relationships, and the pressures of modern society. Vizzini wrote a total of four novels, all of which tackle themes related to mental health. He died by suicide in 2010 at the age of 32.

Plot Summary

The story is written in first person, allowing the narrator to follow Craig Gilner closely during his five day stay at the hospital and witness firsthand the events that contributed to his anxiety and depression.

The novel begins with Craig, a high school student who lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is facing immense pressure to succeed at Executive Pre-Professional, a fictitious Manhattan high school that he worked hard to get into. The novel rewinds to show Craig’s intense efforts to get into the school. Craig’s anxiety and depression develop as he struggles to succeed at school. He is further discouraged because his perfect score on the entrance exam is viewed as slightly illegitimate, since the test was “faulty” that year. In addition to pressures at school, Craig has a huge crush on his friend Aaron’s girlfriend, Nia. Craig begins struggling to sleep, focus, and keep his food down. He narrates his inner dialogue, using the terms Cycling, Tentacles, and Anchors to describe the different aspects of his internal experience. As his mind goes through these, he waits for a Shift, which is the moment when he finally feels relief.

Eventually, Craig tells his parents that he is depressed. They bring him to a doctor who prescribes him Zoloft, an antidepressant. He also starts visiting a therapist. Craig starts feeling much better, which he later calls the Fake Shift. He stops taking his Zoloft, which makes his depression return more severely. He starts having suicidal thoughts and decides that he will jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. Before setting his plan in motion, he realizes that he doesn’t want to die and reads one of his mother’s self-help books. He calls the National Suicide Hotline, who help him navigating checking himself into the hospital.

Craig is admitted to the adult psychiatric ward, called “Six North.” He meets a diverse group of residents who are eccentric but accepting. While Craig is hesitant at first and worries that he will fall behind in school while he’s in the hospital, he becomes more comfortable and invested in the community and the people there. He loans a dress shirt to one of the residents, Bobby, for an interview and arranges Egyptian music to be brought for his roommate, Muqtada. He also meets a girl his own age, Noelle, whom he shares a connection with.

In addition to finding a community of friends, Craig rekindles his childhood passion for drawing maps. He hasn’t had time for any hobbies since middle school and begins drawing maps of cities inside of the outline of a brain. These maps are personalized, showing his nuanced understanding of each of his fellow residents.

Craig deals with constant anxiety over what his classmates and friends are thinking of him. He is crushed when Nia, who he confided in, shares his location at the hospital with Aaron, who drunkenly calls from a party. After breaking up with Aaron, Nia visits Craig and the pair kiss in Craig’s room until Muqtada interrupts them and Nia leaves, upset. Aaron and Craig had previously argued over the phone and only reconnect when Aaron visits him on his last day at Six North. He apologizes for minimizing Craig’s mental health problems and explains that he and Nia are trying to work things out. Craig’s last day at Six North is also when his relationship with Noelle becomes romantic.

A combination of friendship, therapy, and what he’s learned from the other patients helps Craig understand and confront his anxiety. He begins to eat normally again and decides to pursue art. His counselor suggests that he transfer from his elite school to an art-focused one, which excites Craig, though he worries whether his parents will approve. While his father is not initially supportive, Craig stands up for his needs and explains that he needs to do this for his health. He leaves the hospital with a sense of hope and renewal, along with a more positive attitude about life and his future.