Painless

By S. A. Harazin

Seventeen-year-old David Hart suffers from CIPA, a condition in which he cannot feel physical pain or temperature, and despite the odds for his life expectancy, he is determined to live on his own, find the parents who abandoned him, travel the world, and see something spectacular.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Albert Whitman Company
• Release date: Mar 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504002219

S. A. Harazin

S. A. Harazin is a writer and registered nurse. Her young adult novel, Blood Brothers, was an Edgar Allen Poe award nominee. She lives in Georgia.

Reviews for Painless

[brandileigh2003 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to read Painless from the first time I saw the premise. I am drawn to books about teens with illnesses. I have never read a book about anhydrosis or CIPA, but have seen a House episode. LOL. I am diagnosed with somewhat of the opposite... a neurological condition where my body doesn't process pain signals correctly, and I feel pain more than normal, especially in the muscles. I know that CIPA is much more dangerous because you can get burned and not know it, or be sick and not really have indication. David is an intriguing character and a walking paradox. He has learned so many tricks to keep himself from hurting himself, getting too hot, and to appear somewhat normal. But he balances these things with acts of recklessness. It is more of an emotional story than I bargained for. I figured some because of his illness, and the hint that his parents had left him. But for me the most heartbreaking and touching part at the same time was his relationship with his grandma, Nanna. She cares so much for him, and has taken care of him. His mom left when David was a baby, and his dad, Nana's son left when he was school aged. There was a certain amount of mystery there, if they couldn't handle him, or somehow he was better off with his grandparents. His Nana is getting old though, and as the book progresses her dementia gets worse. She still loves him fiercely though, and he does the best to make sure she is getting the best care. Their relationship made me even more emotional because of how close I was with my grandma, and how she raised me for a good part of my life. She also had dementia and it was so sad to watch the decline. Anyways, her lawyer and power of attorney as well as guardian of David as she can't make decisions has made sure that she gets medical care, but also that David has an assistant to make sure he doesn't get too hot since he can't feel it, but also can't sweat to cool down, and help him do injury checks, his bp, pulse, ears, throat, etc. His best friend and also helper for years is graduating and going to college, so David gets Luna, a nursing assistant hoping to get her PhD. They develop the working relationship first, and then a friendship as she helps him to experience more of life than he has before, but figuring out ways to do it more safely. There is something mysterious about her and I had some theories but none were exactly right. Their relationship was in question for me a lot, but it was nice that a romance wasn't forefront. I liked the ending in a way, but it was pretty open ended in a few areas. I liked the growth and balance that David reached. Bottom Line: Emotional story of David learning to balance living his life and keeping himself healthy and safe. Also loved the quality of the relationships in this one.

[laura.w.douglas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful story of a young man with a rare disease who decides to live the life he has been given to the best of f his ability. He finds who is true friends are, his true family members, and the people who really love him. He learns that he's not the only person who suffers and the world doesn't revolve around him.
The novel’s early chapters contain short, choppy sentences that move the plot along quickly. I believe this reflects David’s life: slow, cautious, and planned. However, as David progresses and learns more about himself and others, the sentence structure changes along with him.

I received an ARC from Net Gallery in exchange for an honest review.