The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik

Noah's last name isn't Hypnotik (it's Oakman), but he does have strange fascinations. That's his own name for them, taken unashamedly from David Bowie's book. They are: a YouTube video featuring a woman aging day by day; the man with an enormous goiter Noah passes every day on his way to school; a picture dropped by a singer; and uncovering the hidden messages in his favorite author's works. When Noah is hypnotized (or something - he's not actually sure what happened), and he starts to notice subtle changes in the world around him, his strange fascinations remain constant. Convinced that the answers lie in uncovering the secrets behind his fascinations, he begins a somewhat obsessive quest to get to the bottom of things.

But then, well, let's just say that I did not see that coming. Or the other thing. It was quite the double-whammy, and very well done. But what really pulled me through the book was wondering whether Noah would ever figure out how to go back to being a good friend. His two best friends, twins Alan and Val, are fantastic supporting characters and add a lot of depth to Noah's story.