"As he did in his fantastic debut Mosquitoland, David Arnold again shows a knack for getting into the mind of an eccentric teenager in clever, poignant fashion . . . An artfully crafted tale about a boy finding his groove amid the cacophony of adolescence." —USA Today
"An unpredictable, Vonnegut-esque examination of identity, friendship, and forgiveness . . . Unique and surprisingly poignant." —Chicago Tribune
"Shivery and vaguely psychedelic . . . This is the kind of book that will appeal strongly to teenagers like Noah who are just starting to think about what they want from their futures, but it’s also immensely enjoyable to read as an adult. It’s a funny, eerie, beautifully textured book, a strange fascination in and of itself." —Vox
"Don't just pick this one up for its brilliantly bright cover. This book is equal parts odd, imaginative, and insightful." —BuzzFeed
"A surreal, memorable examination of how our relationships can both hurt and ultimately save us." —Teen Vogue
"The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik is an epic wonder that only David Arnold could have dreamed up. You'll marvel at every glowing page as powerhouse Arnold tells a blazing, transporting story of love and history and mystery and more.” —Adam Silvera, New York Times bestselling author of More Happy Than Not and They Both Die at the End
"A breathtaking, mind-bending tour de force that probes fate and forgiveness, history of the human connection, and what it means to live. Ambitious, wise, hilarious, and yearning, The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik is David Arnold at his exuberant best." —Kelly Loy Gilbert, author of Picture Us in the Light and Morris Award finalist Conviction
★ "Arnold has written an in-your-face validation of the power of real and honest friendship, guaranteed to mesmerize readers and leave them altered." —Booklist, starred review
★ "This is a comedic coming-of-age tale with plenty of pop culture and literary references and the snarky, casual, and observational feel of a mumblecore comedy. Supporting characters are fully fleshed out and hilarious. A weird, compelling teen-angst trip that will appeal to fans of John Corey Whaley." —School Library Journal, starred review
"An incredible, eye-opening read . . . Arnold’s characters shine in their realistic relationships and in their relatable fears and shortcomings. Be ready for a game changer of a novel—and a lot of reflection." —Romantic Times
"Boom! That's the sound of your mind exploding when you listen to this audiobook." —AudioFile, Earphones Award Winner
"Arnold’s hipster wit and wickedly clever plotting make for an absorbing, stylized romp . . . Holden Caulfield’s reluctance to grow up mixes with Andrew Smith’s sharp-eyed, sharp-tongued narrators to create a character altogether Arnold’s own." —BCCB
"Compelling." —Kirkus Reviews
"Singular and brainy and deeply intriguing, with an ending that devastates . . . The book’s shattering payoff takes a primary rule of storytelling and busts through it like Kool-Aid Man, and the results are electrifying." —B&N Teen Blog
"Arnold’s characters are seeking higher meaning but he manages to keep the story from drifting into the esoteric by creating moments of true tenderness. Noah’s own writing and his internal exploration propel the narrative forward, allowing Arnold to explore the stagnancy of a predetermined path and unanswered questions about reality, interpretation, and imagination." —Publishers Weekly
"Whip-smart dialogue, fun pop-culture asides, endlessly endearing and fully realized characters and a hypnotic mystery..."—BookPage
— A Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2018 — A Teen Vogue Best Book for Teens 2018 — A Vox Best Book of 2018 — A BookPage Best Book of 2018 — A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2018 — A Booklist Best Fiction for Young Adults 2019 — A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults 2019
03/19/2018
In Arnold’s (Mosquitoland) dry-witted and existentially minded story, 16-year-old Noah Oakman’s life has been laid out in front of him. College swimming recruiters are calling, and all he sees ahead of him are four unfulfilling years at a college he is unenthusiastic about. To get some breathing space, he fakes a back injury, and afterward, begins to focus more on his strange fascinations: four seemingly unconnected people. During a disorienting drunken night, Noah meets Circuit Lovelock, the son of a famous inventor, telling him “It’s like my life is this old sweater. And I’ve outgrown it.” Circuit’s attempt to hypnotize Noah recalibrates his reality, and everything has changed, except for his strange fascinations and a handful of people who, Noah realizes, share a common trait: loneliness. Arnold’s characters are seeking higher meaning but he manages to keep the story from drifting into the esoteric by creating moments of true tenderness. Noah’s own writing (“I think writing is less about the words and more about the silence between them”) and his internal exploration propel the narrative forward, allowing Arnold to explore the stagnancy of a predetermined path and unanswered questions about reality, interpretation, and imagination. Ages 14–up. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. (May)
★ 04/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—It's nearly the end of summer before senior year, and introspective David Bowie fan Noah Oakman feels stuck. The Rosa-Haas twins, Val and Alan, have been Noah's best friends since he moved to Iverton, IL. When Val drags him to a drinking party he'd rather not attend, Noah decides to imbibe, the night gets stranger than he expected; he gets hypnotized by a homeschooled kid. Suddenly, everything feels different in "most peculiar" small ways. The past, the present, and everyone has slight differences that are making him question his sanity. Why is Val suddenly talking about UCLA instead of SAIC? Why is Alan's room filled with Marvel instead of DC comics like it always had been? And Noah is sure that his parents watched Friends every night, but suddenly it is, was, and always will be Seinfeld. Readers are in for a weird, light sci-fi adventure here with a major twist and an unexpected third act emergency. Arnold's latest is ambitious, bizarre, and a book his fans will adore. While a bit heady, this is a comedic coming-of-age tale with plenty of pop culture and literary references and the snarky, casual, and observational feel of a mumblecore comedy. Supporting characters are fully fleshed out and hilarious. VERDICT A weird, compelling teen-angst trip that will appeal to fans of John Corey Whaley.—Emily Moore, Camden County Library System, NJ
Boom! That's the sound of your mind exploding when you listen to this audiobook. Despite his obsessive fascinations, quirky Noah is beloved by his best friends, Val and Alan, and his sister, Penny. Narrator Michael Crouch moves from Noah’s mellow, thoughtful musings to a louder, assertive voice on the fateful night that Noah gets drunk and is hypnotized—the night that everything changes. With Crouch as guide, listeners inhabit the mind and moods of this introspective teen as he recounts his surreal experiences in tones of disbelief, panic, humor, and resolve. Equally well done are Alan—upbeat, funny, and gay (literally and figuratively); Val—iconoclastic, dry, and insightful; and the lovable Penny—who has quirks and an obsession of her own. L.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Boom! That's the sound of your mind exploding when you listen to this audiobook. Despite his obsessive fascinations, quirky Noah is beloved by his best friends, Val and Alan, and his sister, Penny. Narrator Michael Crouch moves from Noah’s mellow, thoughtful musings to a louder, assertive voice on the fateful night that Noah gets drunk and is hypnotized—the night that everything changes. With Crouch as guide, listeners inhabit the mind and moods of this introspective teen as he recounts his surreal experiences in tones of disbelief, panic, humor, and resolve. Equally well done are Alan—upbeat, funny, and gay (literally and figuratively); Val—iconoclastic, dry, and insightful; and the lovable Penny—who has quirks and an obsession of her own. L.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
2018-02-20
Noah Oakman is having a rough year.There's the issue of his bad back, which has pretty much blown his champion swimming career out of the water (or has it?). And then there are the strange incongruities that keep popping up after he gets very drunk at a party one night and ends up hanging out with the son of a dead inventor (or does he?). A new scar on his mother's cheek, a clumsy dog that's suddenly cured, a best friend (gay and of Puerto Rican and Dutch descent) who is suddenly into Marvel instead of DC Comics—all these bizarre occurrences create a patchwork of confusion and dread. What happened to him the night of the party? Why does he keep having the same dream over and over? To find the answer, Noah, a white Midwestern boy, embarks on a deep dive within himself and navigates the psychological inconsistencies within his own mind with a mix of intellectual connections and acute self-importance (he is a teenager, after all) that occasionally veers toward self-indulgence. Arnold's (Kids of Appetite, 2016, etc.) major plot points often feel convenient rather than revelatory, though the book as a whole hangs together well as a what-if, second-chance, awaking-from-a-dream narrative.A compelling exploration of a life within a life. (Fiction. 14-17)