Addition introduces us to Grace Lisa Vandenburg. A tragedy at age 8, begins her obsession with numbers; she counts everything. She buys things in 10. She has rigid routine to her life. Her counting obsession can also be debilitating. Her obsession with having 10 bananas at the checkout line, introduces us to Seamus Joseph O’Reilly. He is puzzled by Grace and starts questioning her obsession. He brings up therapy /drugs and she try it for him. This is where I feel the book breaks down. A few times in the book the author talks about an obsession can be the result of a tragedy. Isn’t therapy supposed to get to the bottom of the disorder? Grace s feeling guilt for what happened to her brother when she as 8 and how the consequences about those actions led to difficult paths for the family around her. I would have liked to see Grace get the help she needed to get past the incident. Is there only two options – Grace the obsessive counter or a drug altered Grace who loses her spirit. There should have be middle ground. I guess this is a chick lit book so you can’t expect too much seriousness in a light fare book. I actually couldn't decide between two or four stars on this book. It does evoke the claustrophobic world of the OCD suffering protagonist. However, it was hard for me to believe the fellow she met could put up with her idiosyncrasies. The psychologist and therapist she goes to are portrayed as buffoons, and in the end she is just all right as she is. Her role model is Tesla, who sounds a right kook himself, but he was a genius inventing all sorts of important things, while our heroine sits in her room in Melbourne living on disability until she gets a job near the end of the book.(less)
What do You think about Tausend Kleine Schritte (2010)?
Sind wir nicht alle ein bisschen Grace? ... Ein zu Herzen gehendes und nachdenkliches Buch!
—Domino1
Such a cute, light read about a girl who has OCD. Reminds me of Stranger Than Fiction!
—kurush68
A relatively predictable romance novel, but thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless
—coolazure
