`In her debut novel, Banana Kiss, New Jerseyite Bonnie Rozanski explores the world through -- and behind -- the eyes of Robin Farber, a young woman hospitalized with schizophrenia. It's a harrowing experience, but emotionally immediate, as lucidity blends with delusion, and reality shares space with fantasies and horrors drawn from Robin's dreams and memories. Rozanski, a University of Guelph graduate, sharply renders both Robin's internal world, at a tangent from reality, and her physical world, surrounded by family (including her insidious sister, who is about to marry Robin's former lover, Max), fellow travellers (including the dynamic Derek, whose manic depression is accelerated to a crippling degree) and medical professionals, who treat Robin with a kindness and gentleness at odds with her perception of them.

`Rozanski writes with a keen-edged, cool precision. The tone is distinct from Robin's hysteria, but allows a unique perspective into her mind as she struggles through daily life and tries first to avoid, then to reconcile herself with, the events and traumas that led to her collapse and hospitalization.

`The world of Robin's delusions is presented as oddly inviting, a comforting realm of supportive and encouraging voices, including that of her father, a sailor who died when Robin was an infant.

`Banana Kiss is not without its flaws, chiefly an ending that seems to come too quickly and too easily for all of the carefully laid groundwork, but it is powerful, compelling storytelling and a unique reading experience.'