Turtles All The Way Down

Not to be confused with the expression, Turtles All The Way Down is a fictitious work of the famous author and youtuber, John Green. Being his second most recent publication (after his first non-fiction, The Anthropocene Reviewed), the main character, Aza "Holmesy" Holmes, is somewhat similar to himself as they both suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - the only difference being that there is no direct mention of OCD throughout the book, however Aza portrays many symptoms commonly associated with the disorder. It can also be concluded from reading the book that Aza also undergoes some level of anxiety.

The plot is set in Green's hometown, Indianapolis. One of the beginning scenes take place on the White River, where Aza and her "Best and Most Fearless Friend", Daisy, paddle across it to reach the Pickett Estate - housing Russell Pickett, a recently disappeared billionaire, and his son, Davis, one of Aza's old friends who she has not seen for years but grows a close relationship with as the story unfolds.

Because of her mental issues, Aza must face fears that most would consider irrational - all revolving around a bacterial infection she knows too much about for her own good - Clostridioides Difficile. Because of this obsession, she ends up putting herself in danger as the plot progresses - swallowing large amounts of hand sanitiser, which contains chemicals that can kill a human if ingested. Although she does receive professional help from Dr. Karen Singh, sometimes this is not enough to override her internal monologue, which is occasionally represented in the book in italics during mental arguments between herself and Herself.