The novel’s strength lies in its refusal to romanticize Aza’s condition. Her "ever-tightening" thought spirals regarding the human microbiome and C. diff are depicted as exhausting and isolating. This internal struggle is juxtaposed against a traditional YA mystery—the disappearance of a fugitive billionaire—but the mystery quickly becomes secondary. The "search" for Russell Pickett serves primarily as a catalyst for Aza to navigate her relationships with her best friend, Daisy, and the billionaire's son, Davis. Through these interactions, Green explores the difficulty of loving and being loved when you are constantly drowning in your own consciousness.
The novel’s strength lies in its refusal to romanticize Aza’s condition. Her "ever-tightening" thought spirals regarding the human microbiome and C. diff are depicted as exhausting and isolating. This internal struggle is juxtaposed against a traditional YA mystery—the disappearance of a fugitive billionaire—but the mystery quickly becomes secondary. The "search" for Russell Pickett serves primarily as a catalyst for Aza to navigate her relationships with her best friend, Daisy, and the billionaire's son, Davis. Through these interactions, Green explores the difficulty of loving and being loved when you are constantly drowning in your own consciousness.