This novel was difficult to digest. First, it was shrouded in mystery until the very end. You have no idea what is going on with title character Lisa. The narrator Betsy is the only character that establishes a strong imprint on the reader of who she is, why you should read the story, and what type of person she might be in real life. The rest of the characters are brushed over, uninteresting, and simple. Second, the end is anti-climax and dull. In fact, the narrator isn't even there for the real end and brushes over it in a few paragraphs. All this time, the reader has been waiting for Lisa's parents to recognize how sick she is. And, the author does the end no justice in his quick overview through what's been told to Betsy. Finally, the novel was slow and nothing ever really happened but once so that even though it was only 143 pages, I took forever to finish it because I never wanted to read it.
Three girls, Betsey, Mary Nell, and Elizabeth, are worried about their friend Lisa. Every day, she has a contrasting personality type to the day before. In fact, Lisa is scarily maniac-depressive. One day, she's bubbly and too loud in her speech; the next, she refuses to talk, sleeps with her eyes open all through class, and barely recognizes friends, food, or favorite activities. Quite a few times, she cries out for help to her parents. But, they refuse to listen even when she is found under a teacher's desk poking a safety pin into her skin The girls decide they'll help Lisa in any way they can until her parents realize something is very wrong. Mary Nell takes the initiative to begin a group therapy for Lisa. While the girls know nothing about psychiatry or what's wrong with their friend, they ban together to provide the best support they know: just being there.
With "Over 2 million copies sold" blasted across the front cover, I expected more from this novella. What I got was bland, slow-moving story whose ending was as disappointing as the end result of paint drying.
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