Review: Freaks Like Us

 

By - Susan Vaught / Published - September 4, 2012

Jason, Derrick and Sunshine are Alphabets. This is not an official description; they gave it to themselves and others like them. They all have some sort of a mental disability with shortened descriptions (ADHD, MDD, BPD and GAD). Jason is SCZI (Schizophrenic) and hears multiple voices in his head. Derrick and Sunshine have been his best friends since childhood and they are now in the last year of high school.

Jason and Sunshine also have a secret. Sunshine asked him to do something for her on Saturday and keep it a secret. Since she is his best friend he did not hesitate to honor this request. Unfortunately, his disability is causing him to wonder if he is remembering Saturday correctly. Did she really ask? Did he really do it? This confusion may not be that big of a problem until Monday night when Sunshine goes missing. She never made it home from the corner that Jason, Derrick and her parted ways at after the bus ride home. 

Since Sunshine is a disabled minor, the local authorities decided to call in the FBI for assistance. Everyone is a suspect including Jason. Jason doesn’t think he did anything to Sunshine, but the voices in his head make everything so confusing he is unsure about his own innocence. Freaks Like Us will pull the reader in after just one chapter. Jason’s persona comes alive as one reads about different issues that Alphabets have to deal with including the fact that no one wants to listen to them or take them seriously. The reader will experience characters they love, characters they hate and characters they just can’t decide upon. This is a great coming of age story that will have the reader laughing and crying throughout.  Goodreads Book Information