A.S. King’s novel I Crawl Through It tells the story of four seniors facing high school standardized testing. Stanzi is a biologist who never takes off her lab coat, Gustav is building an invisible helicopter, China has swallowed herself and Lansdale’s hair grows when she lies. There is a naked man in a bush who gives out letters in exchange for kisses, and someone, or everyone, is sending bomb threats to their school.

The best way I can think to describe this novel is surrealism for beginners. Written with a young adult audience in mind, King makes surrealism accessible to those unfamiliar with it. Although the details may be unreal, the characters are grounded in reality. Readers can find themselves represented in China’s need to hide within herself or Gustav’s desire to run away on an invisible helicopter.

Though not an easy read, the concentration and thought it takes to understand this character-driven story is worth it. King conveys a poignant message about facing one’s issues instead of running, hiding or lying to escape them. Anyone who’s been a teenager can understand this book if they put the work into it.

Of course, King’s novel is not without its faults. Occasionally heavy-handed, the surreal aspects can feel forced and make little sense. While some metaphors land well and are easily understood, others feel out of place and unnecessary. For the most part, King has a good understanding of surrealism, but her inexperience in the genre shows when she feels the need to inject strangeness into every piece of the story. Surrealistic elements added without reason make the story difficult to grasp at times and left me rolling my eyes.

Despite the sometimes clumsy use of surrealism, I Crawl Through It is a meaningful tale about teenagers crawling through life. The dreamlike quality of the novel is indicative of the difficult and confusing adolescent years we all go through.

If you prefer to read things that are more straight-forward, or you are easily bothered by heavy-handed metaphor, I Crawl Through It may not be for you. I would recommend it if you’re someone who has been curious about the world of surrealist literature and are unsure of where to start. A quick read with a fairly straightforward plot, King’s novel is a wonderful introduction to the world of surrealism.