Mental Health – Page 10

‘Pushing the Limits’ – Katie McGarry

Part of a series of novels, each telling the story of a different couple of characters. This, the first in the series, focuses on Noah and Echo.

Both Echo and Noah have had to contend with more trauma than anyone should have to experience in a lifetime,never mind before you finish school! They are damaged characters, but there is an inner strength to each of them that is really beautiful to see.

Noah’s parents died in a fire. His younger brothers are with a couple who want to adopt them. All Noah wants is the chance to be a family again.

Echo’s brother died on active service. She was attacked by her mother, but remembers nothing. All she wants is to sleep without being disturbed by nightmares, and to regain her memories without losing her mind.

This book was crammed with issues, some of which were better handled than others. The relationship between the main characters is at the heart of the novel. It’s tempestuous, but oddly sweet.

Only by testing ourselves at times can we really develop. Both characters push their limits…hard to read, but powerful.

‘The Pain Eater’ – Beth Goobie

She hadn’t told anyone. Not a single soul. Not one word about that night and what had been done to her had ever passed Maddy Malone’s lips. She’d thought about it at first – had been desperate, even frantic, to tell. But then had come the shame, and the intimidation from the boys who raped her – and the one who held her down.

Now it’s the beginning of a new school year and Maddy is hoping that she can continue to hide, making herself as quiet and small as possible. She is consumed with keeping the memories at bay, forcing them down through small cuts and the burn from the end of a cigarette. But when her English class is given the assignment of writing a collaborative novel about a fifteen-year-old girl, The Pain Eater, fact and fiction begin to meet up. When the boys spread rumors about Maddy, she realizes that continuing to hide the truth will only give them more control, and she slowly gains the courage to confront them.

From its opening Prologue, where we are told about the rape of fourteen-year-old Maddy, this is a powerful read.

The novel actually focuses on the events of a year after the attack. Maddy has told no-one of what happened to her, and she is used to keeping her head down and being invisible. Over the year since the attack, Maddy has worked out the identities of her attackers and things come to a head when she finds herself in English class with two of them.

The class are set an intriguing task-a collaborative story. And so begins a fascinating read.

As much about the creative act of writing as it is about Maddy’s brave decision to finally speak about what happened, this novel is powerful. Like a number of books on this topic, I feel this should be a must-read for teenagers.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is one book I’ll be urging my students to consider when it’s published! As of September 2nd, Amazon.co.uk are indicating that the Kindle version of the novel will be available from 13th September 2016 while the paperback version is available for pre-order (scheduled release March 2017).

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Thank you for you review of The Pain Eater by Beth Goobie. I spoke with Beth and I know she was really happy to see your review of her new book, and we are too here at Second Story. It’s great to see a reviewer/blogger who has a wide interest and gives a really considered and thoughtful review of each book.

Beth wanted me to clarify the publication date of the book with you. The book is being released in September in Canada and then in March in the USA. Our books are not being distributed in the UK directly at the moment, but Amazon does seem to make it available so I hope that UK readers can purchase it, or they can also access the ebook versions.

Thank you so much for bringing attention to our book!

Emma Rodgers

Marketing & Promotions Manager

Second Story Press

‘Flat-Out Love’ – Jessica Park

‘Flat-Out Love’ is a curious read, but one to persevere with.

We first meet Julie when she’s heading to college in Boston. Her accommodation doesn’t work out, so an old college friend of her mother steps in and saves the day. Julie joins this eccentric and highly dysfunctional family, and we get to see her learn more about them as she goes through her studies.

This eighteen year old is quick to take thirteen year old Celeste under her wing, but it is her relationship with Finn – the eldest son – that initially draws us in. Though we’re told Finn is travelling, Julie friends him on Facebook and finds herself drawn to this boy she’s never met.

There are some wonderful moments during this story. It’s witty but also upsetting. Julie seemed a little too keen to ‘fix’ everything, which I wasn’t totally convinced by, but I found myself drawn to her as she learns more about the relationships between those around her.

It is only fairly late on that we start to get clues about the, quite frankly, astonishing revelation this warm but broken family unit have to make. Julie’s initial response had me gulping (and, yes, feeling more than a little teary) but by the end I was quite won over.

‘The Program’ – Suzanne Young

A dystopian novel with a bit of a difference.

At this point in time we are led to believe that suicide has become an epidemic. We’re not told why – though it’s laid at the door of our dependence on anti-depressants – but with so many teenagers killing themselves, society has turned to The Program as a way of controlling this problem. Anyone under the age of 18 who shows signs of being depressed/uncertain or even experiencing excessive emotion (tell me if I’m missing something, but I thought that was the expected result of lots of hormones and someone lacking life experiences on which to draw) is enrolled into The Program.

Sloane and her boyfriend James have experienced their fair share of tragedy. Sloane’s brother killed himself, her best friend is taken away as she’s depressed, another friend kills himself and James eventually succumbs to his emotions. One by one, everyone she relies on and interacts with is removed, and it is perhaps inevitable that Sloane is taken into The Program.

The second part of the novel chronicles Sloane’s experiences, and it is here that we get our strongest hints that all is not quite what it seems. Sloane is never entirely sure who to trust, and what feelings are caused by the obscene amounts of drugs pumped into her during this process. She comes to trust Realm, who seems like one of the good guys, but even that isn’t quite as straightforward as we think.

The final part of the novel focuses on what happens when Sloane is returned home. She doesn’t quite feel as she’s meant to, and she has the opportunity to regain some of her memories. Her dilemma is whether it is worth it when those she shared the experiences with have no recollection of the events.
This reminded me a little of ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’, though here the actions are placed firmly in the hands of the adults who believe they are acting in their children’ best interests.

The Epilogue really sets up our interest in what comes next. I can’t wait to find out where this goes.

‘Every Exquisite Thing’ – Matthew Quick

With a title that contains a quote from one of my favourite stories ever (The Picture of Dorian Gray), I had a sneaky suspicion that this would be a book I’d enjoy. Sometimes it’s good to get what you wish for.

The story focuses on Nanette O’Hara, an introverted student who has toed the expected line all her life. A good student and a star soccer player, she is popular and comes from a comfortable background. Yet she always feels something of a misfit, and struggles to feel comfortable in her own skin.

This coming of age novel begins with Nanette being given a copy of The Bubblegum Reaper, a cult novel, with which she identifies heavily. When she learns that the author lives in her town she arranges to meet with him, and so begins an unusual friendship.

Booker helps Nanette start to question who she is and the place she will take in society. Her relationship with Booker, but also Alex and Oliver, focuses on them each finding their way.

It’s hard to sum up precisely what made this book work for me. I think the sense of self-doubt is something that many will identify with, and the pages crackle with humour (though sometimes of the dark sort). There are one or two moments that really throw the reader off-kilter, but it was touching and it certainly got me thinking.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘Love May Fail’ – Matthew Quick

‘Love May Fail’ is an unusual book. The title suggests a book about taking a chance, having the courage to take a risk and hoping that it all works out. The main characters are all, in some way, flawed but their lives intertwine and allow us to catch glimpses of the way we can influence those we come into contact with.

There are a number of stories within this novel, some of which are more interesting than others.

The main character is Portia Kane, a rather irritating woman with a good heart who tends to let life pass her by. She has, for years, lived with the fact that her mother is a hoarder and social recluse. Portia finds her husband cheating on her at the start of the novel, so she takes off on some crazy mission to save the one man who inspired her-Mr Vernon, her high school teacher. Things don’t go quite to plan, but Portia does find a new relationship and becomes a writer (albeit one whose novel bombs).

Mr Vernon is a broken man when we meet him. He’s lost that spark his students recall with fondness-but I think that’s inevitable if you’re attacked by a student! He is quite pretentious in many ways, but as we learn more about him he feels a more genuine character.

This is a novel of coincidences. It felt quite manipulative, and I really didn’t feel emotionally connected enough to the characters to be drawn into their worlds. Perhaps the most genuine characters were Portia’s old friend, Danielle, and her brother, Chuck. Unfortunately, even these characters were toyed with in such a way that I lost interest in them.

I can’t help but feel this is one of those novels that on a different day, or under a different set of circumstances, I might have felt a lot more positively about. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC though.

‘Speechless’ – Hannah Harrington

Chelsea Knot starts the book as one of the popular crowd at school. Best friends with Kirsten, Chelsea is used to being able to say what she likes without having to think of the consequences. Unfortunately, she is also portrayed as a completely unpleasant superficial character.

The novel opens with a New Year’s Eve party. Something happens that Chelsea just can’t keep quiet about. The tone at the start is gossipy and fairly lightweight, but from the moment Chelsea opens her mouth to tell people what she saw a chain of events is set in place that has serious consequences.

The symbolism of this taking place at New Year isn’t lost on the reader-this book is about starting anew and changing yourself (or at least coming to accept who you really are).

The characters are, for the most part, fairly stock high-school stereotypes and I think this means it will appeal to its target readership. The crowd that Chelsea finds herself drawn to when she takes her pledge to be silent are one big happy family. They are better developed, and there were some great passages as we watch Chelsea get taken into the heart of this new family and come to terms with who she is and what she wants.

A quick read but one with a serious message to convey. I just wish that Chelsea hadn’t been such a manipulated character at the start as it did make it harder for me to accept unquestioningly her transition.

‘When We Collided’ – Emery Lord

If it weren’t for my involvement with the YA Buddy Readers’ Corner group on GoodReads, I might not have stumbled across this book.

The love story of Jonah and Vivi on one hand, but it was so much more than that.

Jonah and his older siblings have virtually taken over the care of their younger siblings as their mother is experiencing depression after the sudden death of her husband. Understandably, this is a challenging situation. It allowed the writer to explore a range of relationships, but it seemed to weaken the story for me ever so slightly. I completely understand that grief will impact in many different ways, but I didn’t get enough to explain how the Daniels family have allowed this situation to develop.

Anyway, when Jonah and Vivi meet it really is a collision. They are both fragile and needy in their own ways, but they find each other at the time they’re needed.

There were so many lovely moments described in this book. While I thought Jonah and Vivi were really cute together, I couldn’t help but feel the story could have been more powerful without the romantic bond between them.

I enjoyed the split narrative, and felt the portrayal of how Vivi lives with bipolar disorder was searingly honest. A funny but unflinching story exploring how people can hurt but also save each other.

‘Forbidden’ – Tabitha Suzuma

Published in 2011, Suzuma’s novel ‘Forbidden’ is definitely not one that you want to go into without knowing a little of the subject matter. As with many of Suzuma’s stories, love and family are at the heart of it…in this case, they form an uncomfortable alliance.

‘Forbidden’ takes a controversial subject, the incestuous relationship between seventeen year-old Lachan and his younger sister, Maya, and urges us to explore our feelings and responses to this taboo. Suzuma writes about the topic sensitively, and alternating the viewpoints of our two main characters means that we can clearly see just how each of them responds to their feelings and what they think they should do about them.

As with other stories by Suzuma, dysfunctional family relationships are a recurring theme. In this story, we are surrounded by them! Lachan and Maya are, essentially, teenage parents to their younger siblings as they cover for their alcoholic mother when she abandons them. Their closeness seems to make sense as they have, for years, depended on each other. When they finally make the decision to cross that line of social acceptability, we are asked to question whether what they are doing is really that wrong.

The angst felt by both characters stops this feeling like a doomed love story cliché. Unfortunately, Maya was a character that I often found irritating. Sometimes she seemed very naive, yet she also seems to be the one pushing for more and I felt that her reactions at key moments were not wholly credible. I also found it hard to accept that this situation would ever have gone on as long as it did without some adult intervention.

The ending, when it inevitably all goes wrong, was hard to take. By the time we get to the, quite frankly, stunning final moments, we are caught up entirely in the relationship between all the siblings. What we got was not what I expected and I’m not sure I can say I enjoyed this book, but it certainly got me thinking.

‘My Name is Leon’ – Kit de Waal

A huge thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC. This book has already created quite a buzz, though it’s not due for publication until early June 2016, and I was keen to read it.

The synopsis is quite straightforward. Nine year old Leon and his younger brother Jake are taken into care when their mother’s inability to care for them is revealed. Sent to live with Maureen, the boys experience genuine care for the first time – but Maureen cannot give them the one thing Leon craves, his mother’s love. When Social Services arrange for baby Jake – who is white – to be adopted, Leon is left stranded. He seeks solace in the local allotments, but spends most of his time trying to cope with what is happening to him.

This could have been a heart-breaking misery-fest. What we get instead is a heart-warming story, told through the eyes of an insightful young boy. The contrast between Leon’s home life-that he spends most of the book trying to think about how to return to-and the care he receives from Maureen angered me. It made me so frustrated that the family could be in this situation. I also have to admit to getting irritated by Carol. I appreciate that her mental health issues were crippling, but in many ways she seemed so much more immature than her son and I desperately wanted her to step up to her responsibilities.

I think this is the kind of story that will resonate with readers, and I can certainly think of one or two people that I will recommend this to.