We have reached the second week of the DSN YA Fest with Nic Stone's Chaos Theory, the first book I have read by this author since 2020's Dear Justyce, the follow-up to the wildly popular Dear Martin. In Chaos Theory, Stone is once again addressing issues that affect many young people (as well as people in general) with the same brand of honesty and sensitivity.
The Situation: It is senior year and Shelbi Augustine is sticking to the plan: do not make any friends during her short time at Windward Academy, and things should work out just fine before she heads off to college after the summer. Past experience has taught her that people cannot hurt her if they do not know her, or anything about her. She briefly breaks that rule when she reaches out to Walter 'Andy' Criddle after seeing him in a terrible situation. She figures she is only returning his wallet, but what follows is something she could not have predicted, even with all of the science knowledge that she loves to collect.
The Problem: Even though Shelbi likes hanging out with Andy, and is enjoying the unlikely friendship that has developed between them, she is terrified that the past will repeat herself. She even draws up a friendship agreement that Andy must sign in an effort to protect herself. And while Andy signs on the dotted line, he does not do so confidently. While Shelbi is doing her best to keep her own feelings, habits, and patterns in check, Andy is dealing with his own destructive behaviors, as well as a difficult situation at home. These two are clearly drawn to each other, but they also have every reason to pull apart, which could possibly destroy them both.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult novel set in a small city in Georgia. The story begins during the spring semester of Shelbi and Andy's senior year of high school, moving through graduation and into their summer before college. The novel opens with a letter from the author, briefly outlining the intense and potentially triggering subject matter of the book. Chaos Theory has been called Stone's most personal work yet, as many of the issues that are explored and stories that are presented come from her own personal experience. Readers will encounter mentions of self-harm, suicide, depression, grief, guilt, and alcoholism, and are encouraged by the author to proceed with caution.
My Verdict: I adore this book and adore the author for writing it. With the same wit and honesty that she presented Dear Martin, Stone gives us a young adult novel with more of a romantic element, while still addressing hard topics. Shelbi is smart, funny, quirky, and incredibly self-aware (and as a result, very protective of herself since she knows what can happen), while Andy is also smart, but is working his way through grief in one of the worst ways. The pacing of the story is quick, but not so quick that the reader will feel lost, and the relationship between Shelbi and Andy is fun and endearing, but it also made me very afraid of what could happen between these two teenagers that are dealing with incredibly difficult things. I will say that ultimately it is worth it, and many people would benefit greatly from reading this book.
Favorite Moment: Shelbi's cousin Becky may be the one person who knows her better than she knows herself. And this comes in handy when Becky refuses to let Shelbi believe her own nonsense.
Favorite Character: Andy's dad has experienced a fair amount of tragedy, and he is able to admit how he feels about it (angry, sad, terrible, all the things) and keep moving forward, while also being there for his son.
Favorite Quote: I actually will not post the quote here, instead I will let it be a delightful surprise for readers of this book. And the quote is almost a throwaway line, as it has nothing to do with the primary subject-matter of the story. But it is about slavery, and almost made me spit out my tea...you will know it when you read it.
Recommended Reading: Dear Martin is certainly worth a read, but I will also recommend Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert.
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