Paperback art direction: Theresa Evangelista // Illustrations: We Buy Your Kids
Hardback design: Theresa Evangelista
This is Noah Oakman → sixteen, Bowie believer, concise historian, disillusioned swimmer, son, brother, friend.
Then Noah → gets hypnotized.
Now Noah → sees changes: his mother has a scar on her face that wasn’t there before; his old dog, who once walked with a limp, is suddenly lithe; his best friend, a lifelong DC Comics disciple, now rotates in the Marvel universe. Subtle behaviors, bits of history, plans for the future—everything in Noah’s world has been rewritten. Everything except his Strange Fascinations…
A stunning, surrealist portrait, The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik is a story about all the ways we hurt our friends without knowing it, and all the ways they stick around to save us.
Named one of the best books of the year by Teen Vogue, Barnes & Noble, Vox, BookPage, Chicago Public Library, Booklist, & YALSA
"An artfully crafted tale about a boy finding his groove amid the cacophony of adolescence... David Arnold again shows a knack for getting into the mind of an eccentric teenager in clever, poignant fashion..." —USA Today
"An unpredictable, Vonnegut-esque examination of identity, friendship, and forgiveness... Unique and surprisingly poignant." —Chicago Tribune
"A surreal, memorable examination of how our relationships can both hurt and ultimately save us." —Teen Vogue
"An elegant and elliptical portrait of teen angst… a shivery and vaguely psychedelic story... the kind of book that will appeal strongly to teenagers like Noah who are just starting to think about what they want from their futures, but it’s also immensely enjoyable to read as an adult. It’s a funny, eerie, beautifully textured book, a strange fascination in and of itself..." —Vox
"Equal parts odd, imaginative, and insightful." —BuzzFeed
★ "Arnold has written an in-your-face validation of the power of real and honest friendship, guaranteed to mesmerize readers and leave them altered." —Booklist (starred review)
★ "This is a comedic coming-of-age tale with plenty of pop culture and literary references and the snarky, casual, and observational feel of a mumblecore comedy. Supporting characters are fully fleshed out and hilarious. A weird, compelling teen-angst trip that will appeal to fans of John Corey Whaley." —School Library Journal (starred review)
"The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik is an epic wonder that only David Arnold could have dreamed up. You'll marvel at every glowing page as powerhouse Arnold tells a blazing, transporting story of love and history and mystery and more.” —Adam Silvera, #1 New York Times bestselling author of They Both Die at the End and More Happy Than Not
"A breathtaking, mind-bending tour de force that probes fate and forgiveness, history of the human connection, and what it means to live. Ambitious, wise, hilarious and yearning, The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik is David Arnold at his exuberant best.” —Kelly Loy Gilbert, author of Picture Us in the Light and Morris Award finalist Conviction
"I am quite frankly in awe of this book. As I read this I kept thinking: Jesus. How did he do that?" —Bill Konigsberg, Award-winning author of The Porcupine of Truth and Honestly Ben
"An incredible, eye-opening read . . . Arnold’s characters shine in their realistic relationships and in their relatable fears and shortcomings. Be ready for a game changer of a novel—and a lot of reflection." —RT Book Reviews
"Arnold’s hipster wit and wickedly clever plotting make for an absorbing, stylized romp . . . Holden Caulfield’s reluctance to grow up mixes with Andrew Smith’s sharp-eyed, sharp-tongued narrators to create a character altogether Arnold’s own." —BCCB
"A compelling exploration of a life within a life." —Kirkus Reviews
"Arnold’s characters are seeking higher meaning but he manages to keep the story from drifting into the esoteric by creating moments of true tenderness. Noah’s own writing and his internal exploration propel the narrative forward, allowing Arnold to explore the stagnancy of a predetermined path and unanswered questions about reality, interpretation, and imagination." —Publisher's Weekly
"Singular and brainy and deeply intriguing, with an ending that devastates . . . The book’s shattering payoff takes a primary rule of storytelling and busts through it like Kool-Aid Man, and the results are electrifying…" —B&N Teen Blog
"Whip-smart dialogue, fun pop-culture asides, endlessly endearing and fully realized characters and a hypnotic mystery..." —BookPage
"Boom! That's the sound of your mind exploding when you listen to this audiobook." —AudioFile Magazine (Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award)
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