Published in 2013, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten is a young adult fiction novel that closely examines obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and mental health issues in teens and high schoolers. Filled with moments of deep emotion, harsh realities, and unexpected humor, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B is about how we all navigate the chaos and stress of our world. Toten won the Governor General Literary Award in Canada for this novel, and she is also a two-time Governor General’s Award nominee. The Canadian writer has published 11 books that have been translated into a dozen different languages.

Note that novel explores complex and possibly triggering issues of mental health, suicide, and OCD. This study guide refers to the 2015 edition published by Delacorte Press.

Plot Summary

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B is told from the perspective of a 15-year-old boy named Adam Ross who suffers from OCD and anxiety. Adam’s parents are divorced, and so he splits his time between their houses. His dad’s house is fine, but because his mom Carmella struggles with hoarding, her home is so cluttered that it’s almost uninhabitable. What’s more, his mom regularly receives threatening letters that she tells Adam to keep secret. Adam attends therapy and a support group to help manage his compulsions and work toward recovery, guided by his therapist Dr. Chuck Mutinda. In Group, everyone gets to pick an alter ego of some kind, and Adam is excited about the idea of being someone other than himself.

Counting is one of Adam’s main OCD compulsions. To neutralize the anxiety of a situation, Adam counts in sets of three or other patterns until he feels he’s cleared the chaos. Adam explains that his OCD is related to entrances and doorways, saying, “that it was the power of wanting the in to be different that held him captive on the out” (36). He cannot enter a new room or building until he performs certain rituals due to a strong fear that if he doesn’t do them correctly, then something bad will happen to his loved ones. Adam is often triggered by the stress of being pulled between his two houses. He is also worried about his mom’s mental health, her hoarding, and the toxic letters she receives.

When Robyn Plummer joins Group as a new member, Adam is drawn to her immediately. He’s determined to protect and defend her, to be the Batman to her Robin. The two of them start walking home from Group together, cutting through a cemetery where Robyn’s mom is buried, though Adam lives in the opposite direction. They also explore Catholicism together after Robyn says she’s interested in becoming Catholic. Adam shows her how to do the sign of the cross, gives her a rosary, and eventually takes her and the rest of the group to visit his church. Robyn says it soothes her. She also admits that her mom died by suicide.

The threatening letters become more frequent, and keeping them a secret from everyone causes Adam’s OCD compulsions to escalate. He thinks he would “get better […] maybe. If it weren’t for the letters” (120). His mother refuses to talk to Adam about who might be sending them. She pretends everything is normal while adding to the piles of junk accumulating in their house. She doesn’t acknowledge her son’s compulsive disorder; as Adam tells Chuck in Chapter 15, they are on their own in regard to Adam’s recovery process.

Throughout the novel, Adam begins developing meaningful relationships with Robyn, Wonder Woman, Thor, and the other group members. However, he continues to worry that people pity him, and his compulsions worsen with every new letter his mom receives. Even when he can’t read or see them, it is obvious when Carmella is upset about receiving a new letter. Adam says, “the house vibrates with it” (199).

With time, Adam and Robyn’s relationship takes a romantic turn. Adam confides in her about the letters, and she convinces him to talk about it in Group and with Chuck. Adam reluctantly agrees. When he opens up about the letters to his friends, he feels immediate relief. However, worried that discussing the letters equates to betraying his mom, Adam tells the group to not share the information with anyone. He later lies to Chuck when his mom receives a new letter. Despite his breakthrough in opening up, Adam’s mental health worsens when he bottles the secret back up again.

Adam’s threshold issue becomes especially problematic. It takes him longer and longer to enter places, especially his own front door. When Sweetie breaks his arm, Adam thinks the accident is his fault, that he has to do better with his clearing rituals to protect his family. He tells Chuck that he wants to be cured or at least be able to control it. He also worries that Robyn is further along in recovery than him.

Later, Adam spends up to 40 minutes trying to clear his house to go inside, but the chaos is too much. He goes to his neighbor’s house to call his dad and get picked up. He knows he needs to do something more to help himself and his mother, but he doesn’t know what. At Group, Snooki and the other members tell Adam that he carries too much already, saying, “You are so here for everyone in here, all the time. I don’t think it even registers with you how much you carry” (246).

As he continues to struggle with his compulsions, Adam realizes that his relationship with Robyn might not be the best thing for her. He knows he must make the hard but necessary choice to let Robyn go. Robyn tries to protest, saying that Adam makes her feel brave and she can’t be strong without him. Adam tells her he loves her, but she doesn’t need him because she is brave all on her own. They kiss one last time, and Robyn tells him she will always love him.

At the climax of the novel, Adam tries to enter his home, but he still can’t clear the threshold. He smells smoke coming from inside the house and panics. He can’t open the door, but if he doesn’t go inside, he can’t help his mom. Out of nowhere, Thor appears, and they push the door together, forcing it open enough for Adam to squeeze through.

He sees his mom slumped on the kitchen floor with a bump on her head, and there’s a pot of soup boiling over, causing smoke but no fire. Adam turns the burner off and tells Thor to call 911. Carmella begs Adam to not call the police; she doesn’t want anyone to see her like this. Adam tells her that he’s known from almost the beginning that there is no man sending the letters. He knows she’s been writing them herself.

Afterward, Adam’s threshold issue is no longer a problem, and he’s working on his OCD manual to help with the counting. Carmella is able to get the care she needs too. Adam receives a letter from Robyn saying he will always be her Batman. At the end of the novel, Adam finally lets himself cry after all he’s been through.