Total Constant Order - Review

Total Constant Order by Crissa-Jean Chappell is a realistic fiction novel about a girl suffering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, also known as OCD. OCD is a disorder where the person performs meaningless, repetitive actions in order to reduce obsessive thoughts and fears. Fin is a ninth-grade girl who has this disorder. Her parents got a divorce and she moved to Florida with her mother. She feels distant and lonely, and wishes she could belong. She is obsessed with washing her hands and counting. She feels like everything has to be even. When she walks from her room to the bathroom, for example, she needs to take exactly twenty-two steps or else she feels like something is wrong. She doesn’t have any friends and feels trapped in her numerical world until she meets Thayer.

            In this book, Fin meets Thayer, who suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD. Thayer is addicted to the medicine he takes for his disorder, and he feels trapped and different too. They become friends and help each other out. Fin starts seeing a therapist who prescribes a medicine for her, too. Fin takes the medicine, hoping it will help, but it only makes her feel more messed up and sick. Fin wishes she could be closer to her mother and stop counting. Thayer makes her feel so much happier and less lonely. But when Fin is placed in an unexpected position, she knows she has to decide if she should let the numbers go.

            I liked this book because it was very realistic. I didn’t know a lot about OCD before, but after reading Total Constant Order I learned a lot about it. The plot was very well planned out and kept you turning pages. The main character, Fin, did a lot of things that weren’t expected but you were always on her side. The author’s style of writing is very adventurous and not too fast or too slow. I really enjoyed this book.

          I recommend Total Constant Order to middle school age kids and up. This book is great, but some of the themes and language isn’t appropriate for people under age ten. This book is a moderate read. I really think this is a great book to read if you want to learn more about OCD or if you like realistic fiction novels.