LSSL 5385: Book 14

I Crawl Through It

By A.S. King

King, A. S. (2015). I crawl through it: a novel. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Stanzi and her friends are high school seniors in Pennsylvania who have tough issues to deal with, and at times have a hard time connecting amongst themselves. There school has daily bomb threats, which require safety drills constantly, and they’re weighed down by numerous standardized tests. Stanzi lives at home with her two parents who are never home at night, and their idea of vacation is taking her to school shooting sites. She is obsessed with biology, dissecting animals, and wants to be a doctor someday. Stanzi feels as if there are two parts to her, and that she is split between the two. She always wears a lab coat, loves the show MASH, and relates events in her life to episodes from the show. Her real name isn’t Stanzi, she watches Amadeus frequently with Gustav, and wishes she was more like Mozart’s wife. Everyone around her though calls her Stanzi. Stanzi wants to someday find the cure for guilt, she believes that there’s an organ not yet discovered on the human body.

China Knowles is Stanzi’s best friend and because of an event from her past has swallowed herself or turned herself inside out. At the moment she’s lost her voice a little bit, and has started poetry. She writes in metaphors and tries to explain to those around her how she feels. China was raped by Irenic Brown, and he posted photos of her on Facebook. She didn’t think anyone would believe her so she doesn’t talk about it. Stanzi never brought it up around her or acknowledged that she saw the photos for a long time. China calls crisis hot lines, and finds a support group online. That’s where she found Shane. One day she asks Stanzi to skip school, and they go to New York City so that she can meet up with him. Not only does China have to deal with the fact she was raped, but her mother is the neighborhood dominatrix. Just like Stanzi she doesn’t really have a relationship with her parents.

Lansdale Cruise is friends with China, Stanzi, and Gustav. She is a compulsive liar and her hair appears to grow longer each day with her numerous lies. Lansdale claims to have been beaten, had sex, leukemia, and then in remission, but no one believes her lies. They still hang out with her though. She loves to bake, and usually has a treat for her friends. She’s often asking Kenneth, the bush man, for answers.

Gustav has been building a red helicopter for nine months. Stanzi can only see it on Tuesdays and China and Lansdale have never been able to see it. Gustav’s father seems to be able to see it or at least believe his son. Kenneth is the one who gave Gustav the helicopter and has put a mission inside his head. Once he’s done building the helicopter, he and Stanzi are to go to the invisible place where there are no departures. Kenneth has been there before and somehow he was able to depart. Stanzi doesn’t think that Gustav ever sleeps. Gustav and Stanzi take off in the helicopter on a Tuesday, when Stanzi can see it, and after two and a half days they land. Patricia meets them and tells them they must lie. She knew Kenneth and if the others find the helicopter they will destroy it. Patricia is determined to leave, and sets a plan in motion. After a few days, they manage to escape the others, have to shuck all their clothes, and make it back to their home.

When they arrive home people don’t know what to believe. Stanzi ends up in a stupor and parts of her past are revealed. Her family was in a horrific car accident that took her younger sister Ruthie’s life, left her with a bad scar on her leg, and parents drink to forget the past. Stanzi suffers from PTSD from the accident, felt like she couldn’t have fun anymore, and became obsessed with all things biology. Family counseling is suggested and the family starts to heal together. Once their back home and back in school, Gustav’s next project is building a boat.

While they were on their helicopter adventure China ran away to New York City to be with Shane. She has a hard time tracking him down, decides to head back home, and it’s at the bus station that she finally finds him. Shane heads back home with her and with his help finally talks to her mom about the rape. Her mother agrees to let Shane stay, and she is trying to provide support and healing for China. Meanwhile while everyone deserted Lansdale she finally decided to give up lying. Kenneth fashions her a new haircut and from then on she vows to try and do the right thing. Although the four teenagers didn’t know it at the time Kenneth, the naked bush man, through their exchanges with him set them motion and showed them that they just had to crawl through it.

King’s novel often had me wondering what was truly going on in the story, and I had to take several notes as I read. At the beginning, I was focused on figuring out who was sending out the bomb threats and when something bad was going to happen. Almost halfway through the book though I felt my focus being pulled more towards the invisible helicopter and unraveling the mystery behind it. This was a complex novel for me to read, but I did enjoy how she talked about issues that are prevalent for kids today such as, negligent parents, PTSD, the need to lie, and sexual assault victims. She focused on four teenagers, how they forged connections, and ultimately were there for another when it truly counted.

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