By Carly Smith
Content warning: mental illness, suicidal ideation
The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B follows the life of Adam Spencer Ross, a teen with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Adam’s days are filled with fear and worry as he navigates school, friendships, home life with divorced parents, individual and group counselling, and his new acquaintance Robyn. On a minute-by-minute basis, Adam is consumed by thoughts of counting odd numbers and performing rituals that are fueled by his OCD; they inundate his daily life and make simple tasks more challenging and sometimes even impossible.
Adam’s most recent preoccupation is Robyn, a young woman who recently joined his group support program. He adores her, and works hard to be sensitive to her needs, as she was recently released from a residential treatment program for her OCD. Toten realistically chronicles Adam’s life, from typical teenage woes to less common troubles. She pieces together an eye-opening series of events that help readers who are unfamiliar with OCD better understand the condition and its sometimes-debilitating behaviours.
Adam’s character is one that is both relatable yet different; he has everyday issues that readers can connect to—like befriending a crush, hopping between his mother’s home and his father’s, and making and maintaining friendships. But there are also other aspects of Adam’s life that are not as easy to empathize with, such as the part of his OCD where he obsesses with counting, rituals regarding entering certain rooms and buildings, and his relationship with his mother, which Toten dissects carefully and believably, so that readers who are more ignorant to such topics can better understand. Readers are also offered glimpses into the lives of Robyn and Adam’s mother, Carmella. Robyn is a kind, keen young woman who has suffered tragedy and is working on coping with the effects of it. Carmella is grappling with the weight of a divorce, her own mental health spiraling as the book continues.
Toten gracefully intertwines common, everyday difficulties with more serious, long-lasting hardships. She captures the lives of those living with mental illness realistically and respectfully, and allows readers to vividly immerse themselves in likely unfamiliar circumstances. While her writing is captivating and leaves the audience wanting to read on, I found the language used in conversations between the teenage characters in the book to miss the mark and not genuinely reflect how youth truly speak. Overall, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B was an excellent read, one that should be on the bookshelf in every middle school classroom.