While the knowledge one obtains from this book about what OCD really is merely scratches the surface, it still does a spectacular job showcasing the complexity of mental illnesses. Tamara Ireland Stone dissects the common misconceptions of the disorder and showcases the reality of someone who is struggling with it – how it affects their mind and the people around them.

The utilisation of OCD as a plot device for this book is like none other that we are accustomed to, showing the true ghastly nature of the disorder through the narrations of the protagonist.Įvery Last Word probed into a distinct variety of OCD, one that is purely obsessional. Every Last Word is a breath of fresh air. The word “OCD” holds little weight and is constantly being thrown around, its true menace lost to trivialisation. Nowadays, OCD is synonymous with the word perfectionist, a person who likes things to be neat and orderly. Although it was a challenge to prove herself worthy as a part of the group, she eventually finds solace surrounded by her words and by a new group of friends.Ĭontemporary novels with protagonists struggling from a form of mental illness or more are abundant, although the portrayals of mental illnesses in the vast majority of these novels almost never allude to the true natures of the illnesses. From the outside, it seems like Sam lives the perfect life – she’s beautiful, intelligent and popular, traits that would make anyone envious, but only serve to weigh her down as she struggles to cope with the dark thoughts that seep into her mind, courtesy of her disorder, and keep it a secret from her friends.Īt the start of a new year, Sam meets a new friend, Caroline, who invites her to join a club known as the “Poets’ Corner” where she rekindles her connection with an old schoolmate and begin to delve into writing poetry herself. With ever perfect hair and expertly applied make-up, Sam slips right into the textbook definition of a popular girl with popular friends. Never would I have known that 4 hours later, it would rise above all to become my favorite book of all time.Įvery Last Word is a story revolving around Samantha “Sam” McAllister, a teenage girl with a debilitating case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) hidden beneath her carefully crafted facade. I was admittedly hesitant about the story at first, but as I went on reading it simply compelled me to keep going. Every Last Word was one of the books I read as I was doing my A Book A Day Challenge – my very last one, as a ceremonial ending to the project.

Every last word romance