"Some might say that I am not normal, but more accurately, I could say that I am not typical."
Robert has Asperger's Syndrome and perceives and experiences life differently. Robert's brain is simply wired in a different way. Robert is a student in Christchurch, New Zealand. In diary format, the book chronicles his first year at university as he shares a flat with Chloe and Stef. Chloe is a psychology student who also has Asperger's and acts as Robert's "therapist" because Chloe has plenty of therapy experience.
Written by Kevin Berry, who was diagnosed with Asperger's in his forties, Stim was very informative as well as fun to read.
It managed to impart useful information about Asperger's as well as bipolar disorder in an entertaining manner and makes a really great read for anyone wishing to find out more about these topics in a light-hearted but also educational manner. A great young adult novel, it's a very sweet coming-of-age story as Robert's goal for the year is to find a girlfriend.
I particularly enjoyed the parts about language and communication, for example, Robert's effort to understand idioms. Robert takes everything literally and is brutally honest when communicating which leads to some very funny but also unfortunate events.
Heartwarming, refreshing, partly sad but also hopeful, this was a poignant look at the world from a different perspective.
As Robert said, "I am not an incomplete jigsaw who needs solving, fixing or curing... I am just put together in a different way. Who is to say what the final picture should look like anyway".
I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, Kaleidoscope, which is written from Chloe's perspective.
Many thanks to the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of Stim via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )