Oxford Messed Up

Moving to Oxford to study feminist poetry was challenging enough for Gloria because of her OCD, even before she learns she has to share a loo with Henry, a slacker musician and recovering drug addict. But they share a love for Van Morrison, and Gloria soon finds herself spending time with him despite the protestations of her disorder.

Though I’m not familiar with either Van Morrison or Gloria’s dead female poets, I still felt drawn to the characters and their struggles. Kaufman tells a story about rising above one’s own personal demons without ever falling into mawkish, after-school-special territory. Instead, the novel balances its big issues with a refreshing quirkiness that is sure to endear many readers.

Review based on ARC.

Phew, where to start.

Let's see, perhaps the beginning...
The beginning was not the strongest part of the book and I felt somewhat patronized - like the author was trying to both trick me into not understanding Gloria's true relationship with Oliver and giving me obvious clues. So the first 20-40 pages I read because I was intrigued by the topic, pleased with the title, and because it was easy enough to read... but not because any of the characters were particularly compelling.

Around page 40/50, however, I began to lose sight of "the topic," "the title," or anything but the story, really. And in the end, that's always what I'm really looking for -- a well told story. In this case, it was even better because it was show more accompanied by good writing. Very good writing (though not spectacular). There were moments when I felt that the author wanted to educate me, more than share with me the story. But these moments were few and far in between. Although the novel IS educational on many fronts, it is first and foremost a story about Gloria, Henry, and Oliver.

I actually cried. I certainly laughed. And I read it quickly and voraciously. It was convincing, not terribly contrived, and redeeming. I felt strong emotions for Gloria, Henry, and Oliver... I felt *some* emotions for the more peripheral characters Claire, Nicholas, Margo, Gladys, and Frank.... so much so that I even remembered their names! I will not say *which* emotions I felt for them, but I imagine that, in a conversation with someone else who has read the book, some of my responses will be surprising...

Kudos to Ms. Kaufman. I appreciate that she did not give into some of the traps that often result in cliched stories and contrived endings ... while still providing a complete and satisfying story. I won't say more... just, read it. If you know someone who suffers from any level of OCD, if you yourself suffer from any level of OCD, if you know of no one who suffers from OCD, if you don't even know why I keep repeating those letters.... read the book. It's a lovely story. It certainly is as it is touted to be -- a story about "messed up" people, about cognitive behavior therapy, about fatalistic optimism... but it's also just a good story. A story about people with their own quirks, with their own histories, with their own demons, their own choices to learn and live.

FOUR AND A HALF of five stars. show less

What, sometimes I ask myself, makes a novel great? Is it the characters? The narrative? The dialogue? The setting? I can never come up with a conclusive answer to this, and simply saying "all of the above" seems like such a cop out - so I pacify myself with the only answer that makes the most sense to me, "What makes a novel great, is the way it makes the reader feel." If this is the gauge used to determine the greatness of a novel, "Oxford Messed Up" by Andrea Kayne Kaufman is one of the greatest novels I've ever read. Upon finishing the novel, I was sad to depart with its wonderful characters, maniacally searching for more titles by the same author, and then catatonic for nearly two hours just thinking about it - all after I clutched show more it to my chest and wailed for 15 minutes straight. No, I'm not crazy... okay, yes, maybe I am. But this novel, and author Andrea Kayne Kaufman, will tell you... crazy can be beautiful.

Gloria Zimmerman a graduate student and a Rhodes Scholar who, despite being incredibly brilliant, is a perfectionist with severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. In addition to being an overachiever, and completely friendless, Gloria is in a very dependent relationship with "Oliver" who, like Gloria, is immensely intelligent, but can be quite demeaning and controlling, and is Gloria's mentor in terms of her ritualistic behavior. At the beginning of the novel we find Gloria and Oliver embarking on a journey towards Oxford, where Gloria is going to study. When Gloria arrives, she realizes that she is sharing a "loo" with Henry Young, a particularly untidy ex-junkie, across the way. For Gloria, an obsessive germ-phobe, "cleaning the toilet was a test of her competence and loyalty to Oliver, her god, and the precept of staying in control.”

From here begins the journey of Gloria and Henry, a mutual journey of self-discovery, set to the background score of Van Morrison songs and poetry. Gloria finds that she is distancing herself from Oliver, and beginning to laugh and lose herself in the devil-may-care attitude of Henry's, while Henry deals with his own issues and demons. They revel in the lyricism of Van Morrison songs, the exploration of Sylvia Plath's poetry, and compare notes on their families - both harangued by dysfunctional families, and parents who have only managed to damage their children more than nourish them. And together, they set out to survive life at Oxford, and make happiness their choice. But it is never quite as simple as that, now, is it? As they discover more about each other, they discover more about their own self, and in doing so, strain an already unlikely bond.

The beauty of Kaufman's "Oxford Messed Up" lies in the multi-dimensional characters that are both rich and real, a narrative that soars in its simplicity and plunges into immense emotional depth at the same time, and prose that is beautifully crafted. What really, and absolutely, blows your mind is the way in which Andrea Kayne Kaufman explores the human spirit so beautifully, approaches the subject of mental health with such sensitivity and such intricacy, and creates her characters with such intimacy that you cannot help but become invested in their relationship, and attached to them This is an absolutely brilliant novel, especially for a debut, and one I believe should become part of our curriculum, at least for students of Psychology - the kind of novel that generations down the road will read, seeking comfort in it's characters. I wanted to kiss the hands that wrote this novel - I still might, if I ever am lucky enough to meet it's author (it's okay, Andrea, I'll bring the hand sanitizer!). As a voracious reader, and an absolute worshiper of literature, I'm constantly searching for books that are life-changing - I assure you, "Oxford Messed Up" is just that kind of novel. I hope you will pick up this book, and I hope that it will leave you with as much joy and elation as it bestowed upon me. And, finally, I leave you with lyrics to a Van Morrison song, one I particularly love, that sums up precisely how I feel about this book...

"I've been searching a long time
For someone exactly like you
I've been traveling all around the world
Waiting for you to come through.
Someone like you makes it all worth while
Someone like you keeps me satisfied.
Someone exactly like you." show less

"And we’ll walk down the avenue again
And we’ll sing all the songs from way back when
And we’ll walk down the avenue again and the healing has begun"--Van Morrison, "And the Healing Has Begun"

I read this book in a four-day span just around Valentine's Day. Indeed, I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish the last 75 pages, as I felt such a connection to the characters created by Andrea Kayne Kaufman. Gloria Zimmerman is a nice Jewish girl from Chicago who heads to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar to study feminist poetry (the "tragic, confessional" kind, like that of Sylvia Plath). Upon arrival, she learns she has to share a bathroom with an unkempt guy named Henry Young, who, thanks to nepotism, is working towards his doctorate in show more music. This could be a perfect “opposites attract” romance, couldn’t it? Wait, though—before you cue up the theme to “Love Story,” consider this: Gloria has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Henry, well, let’s just say he has some struggles of his own. The tie that binds these two arrives in the unlikely form of a mutual adoration for the work of Van Morrison. While at first blush, the verses of poets like Sara Teasdale and the pronouncements of Van Morrison may seem like two completely different animals, but the fact is that both artists' words exemplify "confessional." They serve as perfect supporting characters in "Oxford Messed Up," a novel that is at times tragic, frequently confessional, and always engaging. I am grateful to the author for sending me a copy of her book for review. show less

This is a deeply flawed and oddly charming book. It's a book with an agenda; seeking to humanize and maybe even romanticize obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). It's a book in desperate need of an active editor and several re-writes, but the writing improves through the book so that the first chapters are terrible and much of the final third of the book is highly readable. It's a fun chick-lit romance novel and brochure about mental illness in one package.

Gloria has a constant companion, a voice that reminds her to work, work, work and to clean, clean, clean, to the point where friendships or even familial relationships are impossible to maintain. Caused by her horrible parents, who want her to both excel and be normal, she is unable to show more function without her cleaning rituals. She goes off to Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship. There she meets Henry, who has a horrible father, a past as a drug addict and a calmly supportive sister. They share a bathroom, which is a challenge for Gloria, and a love for Van Morrison's music, which allows them to connect and helps Henry to guide Gloria through Cognitive Behavior Therapy. show less

I received this as a Librarything Early Reviewer book and initially thought the writing was a little under-edited, but it gets better as it goes along. The characters developed nicely and I'm a big Van Morrison fan, so that helped, too. It was definitely a fun read.

Wow! I loved Oxford Messed Up. This book provides a very real feeling, intimate look into the thoughts of someone who suffers with OCD. Kaufman has some personal experience with a family member who suffered with OCD and the journey to help has given her tender, insider knowledge. This story will no doubt advance people’s understanding and hope for sufferers of this mysterious and confusing affliction. Gloria’s constant companion Oliver, is a force to be reckoned with. Henry is the one unlikely person to take on the challenge, having his own self loathing issues and illnesses. The story of Gloria and Henry (fellow Oxford student and "loomate") is one of damaged souls finding strength, acceptance, and healing for their personal demons show more through their shared Van Morrison obsession, and their growing love for each other. Though each faces their own struggle with family disfunction and the resulting personal damage it invokes, they care for and believe in the other with fierce intensity that brings out the best in each other. I truly enjoyed the author's impressive knowledge of all things Morrison, as well as the Plath poetry references. I would recommend this book to those who have read Matt Ruff’s “Set This House In Order” (Also one of my top favorites) Andrea Kayne Kaufman has written a beautiful love story with damaged messed up people and it’s all any of us hopes for. show less