The Language of Goldfish is about change, and about the tendency to resist change in people. As an adolescent Carrie is naturally changing, but she has a much harder time accepting that than most people, and she struggles with the uncertainty of where she will go and how she will deal with the increasing demands and responsibilities life places upon her. Oneal's story is introspective; that is, it centers on the inner workings of Carrie's mind rather than on the events that comprise Oneal's plot. Carrie lives in her own chaotic world, one which proves to be much in contrast with the ordered and "normal" world of her family and friends.

Carrie is not someone so different from the "normal" teenager that we dismiss her simply as crazy. We recognize many of her traits in ourselves. Carrie deals with confused emotions, but she has...