Painless

Gr 10 Up—This debut YA novel is a fast-paced and dialogue-centric look into the world of 17-year-old Quinn, who is suffering from an extremely rare disease called congenital analgesia, the inability to feel physical pain. Quinn stumbles through his journey to find meaning in his life while avoiding dealing with complex feelings arising from his father's recent death. He relies mostly on his hobby, creating a graphic novel, to escape his world. Quinn is a flawed but likable character for whom readers will be rooting. Other highlights include Quinn's sister, Caitlin, and his love interest, Theresa. Both women are strong and independent in their own way. The point of view shifts are somewhat awkward and often disrupt the flow of the story, sometimes causing confusion. The book is written primarily in the first person from Quinn's perspective but sometimes switches to other points of view. The development of secondary and background characters doesn't scratch the surface. Stereotypes of Italian American families and caricatures of bikers, punks, and hipsters are sprinkled throughout.