Invisible tells the story of seventeen-year-old Dougie, a "troubled" young man whose only friend is Andy Morrow. Doug spends most of his time building a remarkably detailed train model, talking to Andy, and peeping on his crush, Melissa, who calls him a worm.

START SPOILER The first twist in the book is almost painfully obvious... to the point I wonder if Hautman did this on purpose. Andy, clearly, isn't still alive. The mysterious references to an incident at the Tuttle House, the fact no one talks to Andy, etc. are all clues that Andy isn't really there. END SPOILER

However, even knowing this, the book is weirdly captivating. I'm used to YA protagonists being relatable, or at least someone you're rooting for. Dougie is most decidedly not. I was torn between wanting to be sympathetic - Dougie's obsessive behavior and inability to lie speak to an almost autistic understanding of the world - but clearly Dougie has some major issues that profoundly affect his ability to function in the real world.

Overall, a decent, compelling book, and one that's not afraid to take chances - which, for a YA book, is refreshing in and of itself. ( )

Library Journal review:
Seventeen-year-old Dougie takes everything literally, lacks social graces and is a loner, except, perhaps, for his one friend, athletic and popular Andy Morrow. But readers know almost immediately that something tragic has happened in the recent past: ' Andy and I had some bad luck with fires when we were kids. We're more careful now.' Other students feel threatened by Dougie's disturbing behavior and react by targeting him with cruelty and violence, which only serves to escalate his descent into unreality, isolation, and obsession. The teen has been working for nearly three years on his model railroad set, using 22, 400 headless matches to build a bridge connecting portions of the 'Madham Line.' As his life deteriorates, this obsession and his nightly talks with Andy are the only things that keep him clinging to normalcy. He resists the help of his psychiatrist and hides his medication. Ultimately, he is forced to remember what actually happened on that fateful night. With its excellent plot development and unforgettable, heartbreaking protagonist, this is a compelling novel of mental illness.
( )

*SPOILER* Doug Hanson isn't highly regarded at his high school. Everyone thinks he's a pervert for peeping into Melisa Haverman's window. But his best friend and next-door neighbor Andy still talks to Doug even though he's a popular jock. They can talk about all kinds of things except what happened at the Tuttle house. Besides sneaking over to Melisa's house and late-night talks with Andy, Doug immerses himself in his train set in the basement and his recreation with matchsticks of the Golden Gate Bridge. As the story progresses, disturbing aspects of Doug's life and mental state are revealed. It turns out Andy died three years ago in a fire at the empty Tuttle house where he and Doug were hanging out. Doug is unable to cope with the guilt.

This was a quick read and mildly interesting. I liked some of the random thoughts of the obviously mentally ill main character, like him wanting to count to 180,000 by 17s, things like that kept the book entertaining and gave it a bit more personality. Outside of that, the story itself was kind of ho hum with a plot twist that was very obvious from the beginning and when revealed, it was done so matter of factly that it was almost as if the author was saying "of course you saw this coming, I meant for you to" (which I actually kind of enjoyed). I also almost liked the way it ended until it went just that one step too far and became almost cartoonish. Grab it from the library for something quick and painless to read. ( )

This was a quick read and mildly interesting. I liked some of the random thoughts of the obviously mentally ill main character, like him wanting to count to 180,000 by 17s, things like that kept the book entertaining and gave it a bit more personality. Outside of that, the story itself was kind of ho hum with a plot twist that was very obvious from the beginning and when revealed, it was done so matter of factly that it was almost as if the author was saying "of course you saw this coming, I meant for you to" (which I actually kind of enjoyed). I also almost liked the way it ended until it went just that one step too far and became almost cartoonish. Grab it from the library for something quick and painless to read. ( )