Iveliz Explains It All

The novel-in-verse centers on Iveliz, and as her main conflict is her mental condition, the theme of The Complexities of Mental Health Conditions is central. After experiencing a car crash that killed her father, Iveliz experiences PTSD and depression. She speaks about her mental health conditions like they were in the past. They’re a phase that she went through, but she’s moved on. Iveliz refers to it as her “dark period,” and her counselor and mother worry about her “reverting.” Iveliz claims, “I’m fine now. FINE,” but her poems subvert the linear narrative. She hasn’t “moved on from everything” because mental health conditions typically require careful attention (1).

To control her mental health condition better requires work. She must talk about her feelings so that others can help her. If Iveliz doesn’t put effort into articulating her complex mindset, she can’t expect people to grasp the intricacies of her situation. Iveliz opens up to Akiko, and Akiko replies, “[Y]ou should have said something sooner.” Iveliz writes, “And I feel annoyance flare up / ‘cause it’s not my job to teach anybody / anything” (251). One poem later, Iveliz realizes that she can’t expect Akiko to instantly understand her set of mental health conditions.