Invisible (novel)
Encyclopedia
Invisible is a novel by Pete Hautman
detailing a 17-year-old boy's battle with his inner demons and his descent into insanity
. It won the 2006 Wisconsin Library Association Children's Book Award. The American Library Association
's Young Adult Library Services Association
(YALSA) named it as one of the best books for young adults of 2006.
, Andy Morrow. Athletic, popular Andy is very different from socially inept Dougie, yet the two find things to talk about. They discuss everything - except for what happened at the Tuttle Place three years ago. It is evident that Andy and Dougie's friendship (which adults are afraid of) is not what it seems to be at first: not only is Andy absent when Dougie needs him most, he pressures Dougie into stalking
a classmate, Melissa Haverman, and making a bomb threat
via the telephone
. When Dougie's psychologist finds out that he's been skipping sessions
and hiding his medications, the teenager is forced to remember that fateful night at the Tuttle Place. The truth is that Andy is dead, a victim of the fire they accidentally set to the house.
In the end, he sets fire to his beloved bridge while in the basement, becoming a burn victim at the hospital. Andy then visits him, promising to return. And he never seen andy after that
However, it is debatable as to whether Dougie died or not, since he was hospitalized at the "Madham Burn Unit", the name of his self-built town with his railroad of matchsticks. He also mentions that the hospital smells of burning plastic, referring to the plastic people in Madham, present when he set the town on fire, and that he wants to find his grandfather, to see if he is mad about the train. Whether it is his imagination that leads him to smelling burnt plastic and seeing "Madham Burn Unit" or he has died and Madham Hospital is his place of rest is not revealed.
Pete Hautman
Pete Hautman is the author of many well received young adult novels, one of which, Godless, won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Hautman moved to St. Louis Park, Minnesota at the age of five. He later graduated from St...
detailing a 17-year-old boy's battle with his inner demons and his descent into insanity
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
. It won the 2006 Wisconsin Library Association Children's Book Award. The American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
's Young Adult Library Services Association
Young Adult Library Services Association
The Young Adult Library Services Association , established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. The mission of YALSA is to advocate, promote and strengthen service to young adults as part of the continuum of total library service, and to support those who provide service to...
(YALSA) named it as one of the best books for young adults of 2006.
Plot summary
Dougie talks with his best (and only) friendFriendship
Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...
, Andy Morrow. Athletic, popular Andy is very different from socially inept Dougie, yet the two find things to talk about. They discuss everything - except for what happened at the Tuttle Place three years ago. It is evident that Andy and Dougie's friendship (which adults are afraid of) is not what it seems to be at first: not only is Andy absent when Dougie needs him most, he pressures Dougie into stalking
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
a classmate, Melissa Haverman, and making a bomb threat
Bomb threat
A bomb threat is generally defined as a threat, usually verbal or written, to detonate an explosive or incendiary device to cause property damage, death, or injuries, whether or not such a device actually exists...
via the telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
. When Dougie's psychologist finds out that he's been skipping sessions
Sessions
Sessions can refer to:* Quarter Sessions, a periodic court formerly held in counties of England and Wales* Petty Sessions, the lowest level of court in England and Wales* Sessions, an EP by Australian Reggae/Rocksteady band Rogerthat...
and hiding his medications, the teenager is forced to remember that fateful night at the Tuttle Place. The truth is that Andy is dead, a victim of the fire they accidentally set to the house.
In the end, he sets fire to his beloved bridge while in the basement, becoming a burn victim at the hospital. Andy then visits him, promising to return. And he never seen andy after that
However, it is debatable as to whether Dougie died or not, since he was hospitalized at the "Madham Burn Unit", the name of his self-built town with his railroad of matchsticks. He also mentions that the hospital smells of burning plastic, referring to the plastic people in Madham, present when he set the town on fire, and that he wants to find his grandfather, to see if he is mad about the train. Whether it is his imagination that leads him to smelling burnt plastic and seeing "Madham Burn Unit" or he has died and Madham Hospital is his place of rest is not revealed.