Reaction to Part I

First off, i am hooked. I really like this book, and Craig's story is interesting. He's a boy (our age? 16?) fighting with his life, and he doesn't know why. Looking at what Craig thinks about, and his interests, i think he has a severe case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. His OCD in this case would be that he likes things to be strucured, and done a certain way. One thing hes loves to do is play video games. Video games involve strategy and steps to win the game. Its somthing thats set up, and by following its tactic or steps the game is won. Every copy of that game is like that. Also, in his mind, he imagines a soldier being commanded; "Hey soldier, what's the matter? I can't sleep and I can't eat, sir!" (29). Every Soldier take's the command that they are ordered, and follow or reply in a certain way. Craig also finds peeing a simplicity, and mentions its simple step of "you do it and its done" (7). Peeing is somthing that doesnt require work, yet it has a certain way of being done. Finally, something i found huge, to whether or not Craig has OCD, is the maps. Craig love's maps, and mentioned in detail the streets of Manhattan (21-22). He even recalled when he was young and tried to hand-draw the map of Manhattan, and his mother said to him, "You can't just trace freehand. It's imposible!" (25). The complexity and structure of the maps were what caught Craigs attention to them. The video games, images of the soldier, peeing, and maps are all somthing that do, or are done a certain way. Playing the video game, obeying the commands, following the maps, peeing...there is only one "right way" to win the game, take the commands, pee, and to make a map a a particular place...Maybe as Craig grew up he realized life was not structured like a map, and followed the same way as everyone else, and that it's not "simple"? Maybe what happened "last fall" is what did it to him? Thoughts?
I also found a deffinition for OCD on http://www.thehealthcenter.info/adult-ocd/ocd-faq.htm

>When you have OCD, you have recurring, upsetting thoughts (called obsessions). You repeat doing the same thing, over and over again (called compulsions) to make the thoughts go away. You feel like you can't control or stop these thoughts or actions.

Also a type, relevant to Craig's condition

>Orderers: Orderers are focused on arranging things in the “right” way. Often, they must organize things in an exact, particular, or “perfect” way before beginning daily tasks. They become extremely distressed if their things are moved, touched, or rearranged.

I could go on and on about this, i find his story so interesting! To whoever suggested it, good idea for a book!