It’s Kind of a Funny Story

by

Ned Vizzini

Nia Character Analysis

Nia is a girl in Craig’s class who ends up dating Aaron. She is of half-Jewish, half Chinese ancestry. Craig himself initially likes Nia but is too afraid to say so—he later admits to Nia how much he regrets being too shy to share his feelings with her. Although she hides it form Aaron, Nia herself deals with mental health struggles and takes anti-depressants. At one point, Nia breaks up with Aaron and surprises Craig by visiting him in the psychiatric hospital. She seems strangely attracted to the idea that Craig is unwell and that she may have played a role in his poor mental health. Craig ultimately rejects her, realizing that he was only ever attracted to a false idea of Nia he built up in his mind and ultimately deciding that it’s important to accept people as they are instead of idealizing them.

Nia Quotes in It’s Kind of a Funny Story

The It’s Kind of a Funny Story quotes below are all either spoken by Nia or refer to Nia. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Mental Health Theme Icon
).
Chapter 10 Quotes

I had a sudden urge to walk out over the trussing and lean over the water, to declare myself to the world. Once it came into my head, I couldn’t push it away.

Related Characters: Craig (speaker), Nia, Aaron, Ronny
Related Symbols: Brooklyn Bridge
Page Number: 87
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

“He’s always talking about himself and his problems. Like you. You’re both self-centered. Only, you have a low opinion of yourself, so it’s tolerable. He has a really high opinion of himself. It’s a pain.”

Related Characters: Nia (speaker), Craig, Aaron
Page Number: 133
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

“You want my girl, dude. You’ve wanted her for like two years. You’re mad that you didn’t get her, and now you’ve decided to turn being mad into being depressed, and now you’re off somewhere, probably getting turned into somebody’s bitch, trying to play the pity card to get her to end up with you … And I call you as a friend to try and lighten your mood and you hit me with all of this crap? Who do you think you are?”

Related Characters: Aaron (speaker), Craig, Nia
Page Number: 257
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34 Quotes

“You don’t want any of your Anchors being members of the opposite sex you’re attracted to,” Dr. Minerva says. “Relationships change even more than people. It’s like two people changing. It’s exponentially more volatile. Especially two teenagers.”

Related Characters: Dr. Minerva (speaker), Craig, Noelle, Nia
Page Number: 309
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 39 Quotes

“You’re not like all these other people with their stupid little problems. You’re like, really screwed up.” She giggles. “In the good way. The way that gives experience.”

Related Characters: Nia (speaker), Craig, Aaron
Page Number: 345
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 41 Quotes

“You were the one who suggested I do stuff from childhood,” I continue. “I used to do these when I was a kid, and I forgot how fun they were.”

Related Characters: Craig (speaker), Noelle, Nia, Joanie
Related Symbols: Maps
Page Number: 369
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 50 Quotes

I’m not better, you know. The weight hasn’t left my head. I feel how easily I could fall back into it, lie down and not eat, waste my time and curse wasting my time, look at my homework and freak out and go and chill at Aaron’s, look at Nia and be jealous again, take the subway home and hope that it has an accident, go and get my bike and head to the Brooklyn Bridge. All of that is still there. The only thing is, it’s not an option now. It’s just… a possibility, like it’s a possibility that I could turn to dust in the next instant and be disseminated throughout the universe as an omniscient consciousness. It’s not a very likely possibility.

Related Characters: Craig (speaker), Nia, Aaron
Related Symbols: Brooklyn Bridge
Page Number: 441
Explanation and Analysis:
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It’s Kind of a Funny Story PDF

Nia Quotes in It’s Kind of a Funny Story

The It’s Kind of a Funny Story quotes below are all either spoken by Nia or refer to Nia. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Mental Health Theme Icon
).
Chapter 10 Quotes

I had a sudden urge to walk out over the trussing and lean over the water, to declare myself to the world. Once it came into my head, I couldn’t push it away.

Related Characters: Craig (speaker), Nia, Aaron, Ronny
Related Symbols: Brooklyn Bridge
Page Number: 87
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

“He’s always talking about himself and his problems. Like you. You’re both self-centered. Only, you have a low opinion of yourself, so it’s tolerable. He has a really high opinion of himself. It’s a pain.”

Related Characters: Nia (speaker), Craig, Aaron
Page Number: 133
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

“You want my girl, dude. You’ve wanted her for like two years. You’re mad that you didn’t get her, and now you’ve decided to turn being mad into being depressed, and now you’re off somewhere, probably getting turned into somebody’s bitch, trying to play the pity card to get her to end up with you … And I call you as a friend to try and lighten your mood and you hit me with all of this crap? Who do you think you are?”

Related Characters: Aaron (speaker), Craig, Nia
Page Number: 257
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34 Quotes

“You don’t want any of your Anchors being members of the opposite sex you’re attracted to,” Dr. Minerva says. “Relationships change even more than people. It’s like two people changing. It’s exponentially more volatile. Especially two teenagers.”

Related Characters: Dr. Minerva (speaker), Craig, Noelle, Nia
Page Number: 309
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 39 Quotes

“You’re not like all these other people with their stupid little problems. You’re like, really screwed up.” She giggles. “In the good way. The way that gives experience.”

Related Characters: Nia (speaker), Craig, Aaron
Page Number: 345
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 41 Quotes

“You were the one who suggested I do stuff from childhood,” I continue. “I used to do these when I was a kid, and I forgot how fun they were.”

Related Characters: Craig (speaker), Noelle, Nia, Joanie
Related Symbols: Maps
Page Number: 369
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 50 Quotes

I’m not better, you know. The weight hasn’t left my head. I feel how easily I could fall back into it, lie down and not eat, waste my time and curse wasting my time, look at my homework and freak out and go and chill at Aaron’s, look at Nia and be jealous again, take the subway home and hope that it has an accident, go and get my bike and head to the Brooklyn Bridge. All of that is still there. The only thing is, it’s not an option now. It’s just… a possibility, like it’s a possibility that I could turn to dust in the next instant and be disseminated throughout the universe as an omniscient consciousness. It’s not a very likely possibility.

Related Characters: Craig (speaker), Nia, Aaron
Related Symbols: Brooklyn Bridge
Page Number: 441
Explanation and Analysis: