In the book Lowboy by John Wray, William Heller, a 16-year-old paranoid schizophrenic, has just been let out of "school" where he has been locked away for several months.

While there he could feel his body heating up and causing the Earth to grow warmer. Will is now on a mission to save the world from global warming, but in order to do so he will have to cool himself down first and he only has a few hours left. He travels by subway through New York City in search of his old friend, Emily Wallace, who he knows will help him. Meanwhile, Violet Heller, Will's mother, tries to find her son with the help of detective Ali Lateef. They hope to find him before he is claimed by psychosis completely or hurts Emily. Throughout the day, Lateef begins to love Violet, only to find that she is just as sick as her son.

Wray, winner of a Whiting Award, wrote Lowboy so well that the journey through the chaos of Will's schizophrenic mind wasn't at all confusing. Will's actions were understandable and made sense while being read. It was exciting and interesting to read how schizophrenics may think and view the world around them. Wray's short and easy to read sentences drew a great picture. I recommend Lowboy to anyone who is interested in the disease or wants to just read a really good novel.

Marielle Dent is a sophomore at Academy for Technology and the Classics. You can contact her at onyx-13@hotmail.com.