The Language of Goldfish

The Language of Goldfish is a young adult novel by Zibby Oneal, first published in 1980. It chronicles the mental breakdown of a young teenage girl.

Plot summary

Carrie Stokes, age 13, is suffering a mental breakdown due to her fear of change. She is growing up without realizing it, or perhaps blatantly ignoring it, until it gets too hard for her to pretend that everything was the same as it was when she was a young girl. Carrie is a skilled artist, and takes lessons with the art teacher at her school. Moira, Carrie's older sister, is a constant reminder that she inevitably has to grow up. She has an anxiety disorder because she is worried about the social graces and rites of passage - such as going to school dances - that growing up entails.