I Crawl through It by A.S. King

King, A. S. (2016). I crawl through it: A novel. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

 On this blog I will be talking about a book that I have been "crawling through" for a while now. One of the authors that I could choose a book from was A. S. King. I have never read any of her books, but I have only heard great things (plus she is best friends with Andrew Smith one of my favorites). I chose I Crawl Through It because of a review/ blog post I read on one of my previous professors YA blog, YA Wednesday. The post was published during the beginning of preparing for testing season, and I thought it would be an interesting read. I got the audio book from Audible around February, but I am just finishing it now. I also bought the paperback copy after I began listening to it I quickly realized that the way the book was organized would be easier to read with a physical copy in front of me as well. The audiobook was quite monotone when switching characters that it made it difficult to differentiate between them. I think this was done on purpose, which also made me believe that the main character was schizophrenic in the beginning and that all of the female characters were just different versions of our main character. I was not right in that prediction, but that is okay. 

 I Crawl Through It is a book following and alternating between Stanzi (whom we never learn her real name), China Knowles, Lansdale Cruise, and Patricia (who shows up later in the story). This book is in the height of surrealist fiction as the reader tried to figure out all of the different situations and the coping mechanisms that each narrator chooses to use. Stanzi (who never reals her own name) is obsessed with biology and dissection, and she also believes that she is always splitting into two people. China Knowles has eaten herself and appears as a different part of the anatomy in nearly each section. Lansdale Cruise always lies and her hair grows like Pinocchio's nose with each one. Patricia is stuck in the invisible place trying to get out of a place that no one leaves. Gustav is building an invisible red helicopter to take him to the invisible place. Their stories all weave in and out of each other- with the common thread of anguish and trauma. We find out that China Knowles turned herself inside out because she was raped and feels like she does not want to be seen anymore. Lansdale Cruise lies so that she can be seen, admired, and loved. Stanzi has forgotten that she lost her little sister when she was eight in a car accident and because of that is always trying to find an organ that controls guilt so that she may discover a cure for herself. They each crawl through the muck and dirt that surrounds their grief and pain to find a way out. 

 While this book was not one of my favorites I have read, I still appreciate the surrealism that was created through each of the characters. I think that this is the strongest part of the story because it helps the reader understand the inexpiable grief and trauma that each character is going through- some more than others. I think this book could help with a lot of understanding and create some really interesting conversations in a book club or group setting. I did feel like I had to crawl through this book though, which is not normally how I like feeling while reading a book. I would prefer something slightly more enjoyable and less taxing to read, BUT I 100% understand the importance of putting the reader through that experience to better understand the experiences of the characters. 


Other books you might like based on I Crawl Through It 

  • Reality Boy by A.S. King 
  • Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A.S. King 
  • Dig by A.S. King 
  • The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith 
  • The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson 

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