Written in the first person, it follows the wanderings of a young man named Rob Black. It is clear early on that Rob has some delusional thoughts and suffers from increasingly more intense paranoia, which leads him on a journey to seemingly random destinations, guided SPAN coverage on TV, songs shuffling in a particular order on his iPod, the bodily gestures of complete strangers, even the placement of certain colors. As the reader, it is heartbreaking to be given such insight into the mind of a man who is clearly losing touch with reality and unraveling his funds and safety at the same time. Yet he is persistent until being left with virtually nothing; lost and far from home, hungry and broke.

The story moves smoothly, in a style similar to Less Than Zero or Catcher in the Rye, where the character's habits become so familiar you can almost predict their next action. And while Rob is... well, going crazy and a bit of a cynic, you can't help but like him and even to empathize on some levels. There is a clear desire in him to do what he so firmly feels is right and an undercurrent of deep appreciation and care for beauty and mankind. His character displays a vulnerable and unique insight into the mind of a schizophrenic, one of the non-violent assortment who really just want to better the condition for everyone.

The writing style has an often humorous adolescent quality to it (not humorous because it's bad, humorous because, well... the character says funny things).

The whole beauty and meaning of Connections is not fully realized until literally the last sentence. While the book is not aimless, the final words have a way of blessing all that came behind and instilling far more worth into the, at times, confusing journey. As a whole, Connections was a good little read with a pleasantly unique premise and an incredibly refreshing conclusion.

I met Mike's dad, who assured me the amazing and unsettling experiences in this book are true... making it the best story I've read to date showing how the schizophrenic mind works. The 'personal messages' that Mike receives from his surroundings compel him to save the world and lead him to the United Nations in New York (where better to materialize such a lofty dream?)... which is closed for the weekend (thudding the author down to reality)... leaving Mike to drift for awhile... hopeless, homeless... eventually winding up groping through the north woods toward Canada on blistered, painful feet.

The unlikely (but true) conditions that save his life show that guardian angels are real, and they can come in surprising forms.

I found this book to be an amazing view inside the mind of someone experiencing a schizophrenic episode. Mike takes you on his journey battling himself while he tries to figure out what is true and what is in his mind. Raw and uncensored. Loved it!

I've recommended it to other families dealing with the recent diagnosis of schizophrenia within their family. It provides some great insight and has a message of hope.