Mental Health – Page 11

‘Undone’ – Cat Clarke

Jem has been in love with her gay best friend, Kai, for years. Though she knows they will only ever be friends, this relationship means everything to her. When he is outed in the cruellest way imaginable, Kai cannot cope with the pressure of his peers knowing and commits suicide. Jem is distraught, and is determined to find out who was responsible for what happened so she can get revenge.

From the outset, I liked Jem. Though she thinks of herself as an outsider, she is portrayed as a strong and witty character. Once Kai, her lifeline, is no longer around though she withdraws from everyone. It is only when she is given a parcel of letters by Kai’s sister that Jem starts to think seriously about how she can make people pay for what they have done.

I wasn’t sure where this novel would take us, but we follow Jem as she puts her plan into action. Watching her transformation revealed vulnerabilities that she didn’t even seem aware of. I liked the way she came to experience some happiness, and Clarke helps us to see that nobody is quite what we see on the surface. Everyone has secrets, and some are better at hiding them than others!

To be honest there were moments in the novel where I wasn’t as engaged as others, but the finale was explosive. It stunned me, and really was not what I expected. It also made me angry. We’d been given a few clues that this ending might be on the cards, but I had really hoped it wouldn’t go that way. For reasons I won’t share here, some of the other characters come out of things very badly. I also couldn’t shake the feeling that for someone who we’re told cared so much about Jem, Kai kept a lot of himself hidden and acted really selfishly.

‘Radio Silence’ – Alice Oseman

In this novel, Osman focuses on Frances – a high-achiever, following the path expected of her – and what happens when she makes friends with Aled.

You may be forgiven for thinking this is a stereotypical YA romance; you wouldn’t be further from the truth. The relationship between Frances and Aled revolves around shared interests, and accepting each other for who they really are, not what they think they should be.

This novel explores so many areas, but never in a way that feels forced. It was a genuinely exciting read, and the ending was almost exactly what you wanted.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

While this review might seem short on details, it’s important that key details are unknown until they’re revealed in the reading.

‘Paperweight’ – Meg Haston

This was a difficult book to get into. It tells the story of seventeen-year-old Stevie who has dealt with her mother’s disappearance and the death of her brother in increasingly self-destructive ways. When the novel begins we learn that Stevie is awaiting the anniversary of her brother’s death as this is the day that she plans to kill herself.

A lot of the details that see us come to understand Stevie are revealed slowly throughout the novel. This meant that, initially, I found the character selfish, obsessive and quite unpleasant at times.

We are witness to Stevie being checked into a treatment clinic where she is receiving support for an eating disorder. It seems an odd thing to notice, but her frustration at being diagnosed bulimic rather than anorexic was a chilling alert to just how mentally fragile she was. This was a quite intriguing insight into someone living in the grips of a mental disorder, though I was taken aback by the level of detail given about some aspects of her experience.

For me, the most interesting parts of the novel were either the developing relationships between the girls in the clinic, or the relayed sessions Stevie has with her therapist where we see her growing self-awareness and willingness to engage with the problems she has tried to escape.

‘The Way I Used to Be’ – Amber Smith

The image on the cover of this novel perfectly sums up the experience of the main character, Eden. It also captures perfectly one of the only moments in the novel – though she doesn’t see this until much later – when she is happy.

I think the first thing to say is that this is a book that will divide opinion. The subject matter is not going to appeal to everyone, but for me this is one of those books that you really have to make yourself read.

While some reviewers have commented on the fact that this doesn’t add anything new to books about rape, I’d argue that it shouldn’t have to. Every survivor of rape will have a different story to tell; every survivor of rape will react differently and the outcome for each will be very different. Why should a writer feel compelled to add something new to the mix?

Putting that view aside, I think the structuring of this novel is what most intrigued me about the book. We start with the night of the rape, and there is no easing us in gently to the horror. Like Eden, we are abruptly forced into a position from which we cannot escape. I was appalled, yet horribly resigned, to the way in which she reacted in the immediate aftermath of her attack. It revealed a lot about her as a character, and the relationships that she had with her family and her attacker.

As I read the opening section which focuses on Eden at 14, I felt so angry on her behalf. I reacted very emotionally to this character, wanting her to have that all-important person to reach out to who would believe her when she told them what had happened. Unfortunately, Eden keeps quiet…and nobody seems to notice quite enough to go beyond the surface attempt to convince everyone she’s okay.

The novel is split into four distinct parts, each focusing on a different year in school. As time progresses, we see Eden more and more damaged by her experience. She finds her coping mechanism. Unfortunately, this also brings with it further problems, as she gains a reputation for being a slut amongst her peers. For this portrayal of high school alone I think the novel is worth reading.

The novel’s strength – taking us through Eden’s reaction over a prolonged period of time – is also its weakness. There are many events glossed over or ignored, but I found this a fairly minor issue.

All in all, I had a very emotional reaction to this novel. It didn’t have quite the ‘killer touch’ of Louise O’Neill’s ‘Asking For It’ but it packs a pretty hefty punch that will certainly get people talking.

‘The Art of Not Breathing’ – Sarah Alexander

The cover for this makes perfect sense after reading the book, and I feel it evokes the sense of hope that I was left with as things are resolved.

At first, I was not sure what to expect from this story about a family left grieving after the death of one of the children.

When we first meet sixteen-year old Elsie we can sense the raw pain that her family still carry round with them. When Elsie’s twin brother, Eddie, disappeared five years previously it soon becomes clear that there is more to it than Elsie remembers.

Initially, the narrative focuses more on the impact of this event than explaining what happened. We see that Elsie’s parents are not dealing with their grief, and are completely ignoring the signs that their surviving children are also suffering. Each member of the family has secrets that they want to keep, and it was quite painful to see the way the family disintegrated.

In the course of the novel, Elsie learns to free dive and this helps give her the confidence she needs to find out the truth of what happened. A beautiful yet upsetting story, full of hope.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of this novel, due for publication April 2016.

‘The Dead House’ – Dawn Kurtagich

For starters, this is one of the most intriguing covers I’ve seen for a while. Before reading the book, it got me intrigued; after reading, it captures perfectly the ideas within. If you want a flavour of what’s inside…

Three students: dead.
Carly Johnson: vanished without a trace.

Two decades have passed since an inferno swept through Elmbridge High, claiming the lives of three teenagers and causing one student, Carly Johnson, to disappear. The main suspect: Kaitlyn, “the girl of nowhere.”

Kaitlyn’s diary, discovered in the ruins of Elmbridge High, reveals the thoughts of a disturbed mind. Its charred pages tell a sinister version of events that took place that tragic night, and the girl of nowhere is caught in the center of it all. But many claim Kaitlyn doesn’t exist, and in a way, she doesn’t – because she is the alter ego of Carly Johnson.

Carly gets the day. Kaitlyn has the night. It’s during the night that a mystery surrounding the Dead House unravels and a dark, twisted magic ruins the lives of each student that dares touch it.

From the outset it is clear that this is an unusual book. I initially found the fragmented style of retelling the story quite disconcerting, and I had to concentrate hard to try and keep track of what was known for certain and how the events seemed to fit together.

Deliciously creepy, this book does get a little odd at times. It’s completely down to personal taste, but I found the supernatural references less interesting than the psychological aspect of the story. I felt that, on balance, they combined well to create a very different story.

Big thank-you to NetGalley for the digital copy.

‘Am I Normal Yet?’ – Holly Bourne

The stigma surrounding mental health issues seems to be of great interest at the moment. In this book Holly Bourne seems to be going to great lengths to shatter our preconceived notions of what certain conditions mean/how they affect people.

16-year old Evie wants nothing more than to be normal, whatever that is, and we follow her through her days as she starts college and starts the process of reducing the medication she takes to help her live with her anxiety and OCD. More than anything she no longer wants to be known as the girl who went crazy, and she’d also quite like a boyfriend, but she struggles to work out what are typical reactions to the situations she’s in and what are the symptoms of her condition.

Her fear of how others will judge her was brought home with the excruciating account of her date with Oli. It highlighted just how easy it is to bandy around terms like ‘mental’ without really thinking about the implications of their use.

While this all sounds very worthy, the thing that struck me most was about this book was the warmth of the characters and the humorous way in which Bourne relates their experiences. Definitely one that I could see appealing to readers for many different reasons…

‘This Raging Light’ – Estelle Laure

Laure’s debut was due for publication in January 2016, and I was lucky enough to be sent an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Touted as a writer for fans of Rainbow Rowell and John Green, Laure is always going to have a lot to live up to but I do think the signs are good, even though they don’t quite work fully here.

‘This Raging Light’ tells us the story of seventeen-year-old Lucille. Her father is known as the guy that attacked his wife. This would be a tough enough situation to live with, but Lucille’s mother then leaves. Lucille is suddenly left with no adult figure to rely on, and with sole responsibility for her nine-year-old sister, Wren.

I think this would be an impossible situation for most teenagers to cope with, but Lucille is determined to not give in gracefully. She vows to do whatever she can to stop people learning the truth of her situation, and to protect her younger sister.

Most of the novel focuses on Lucille’s attempts to live as much of a normal life as she can. She’s a wonderful character and I liked the fact that this story didn’t veer into over-sentimentality. Unfortunately, life is never straightforward and Lucille also has to cope with getting a crush on her best friend’s brother, who has a girlfriend.

On occasion some of the characters’ reactions were rather unlikely, and I’m not totally convinced that Lucille would have got quite the response from her neighbours that she did. That aside, it was a thought-provoking read that I think hints at good things to come.

‘The Rest of Us Just Live Here’ – Patrick Ness

Before I start this review, I have to confess to having a bit of a soft spot for this writer and this, coupled with a love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, made me highly intrigued by this new release.

You can get a precis of the novel on-line easily enough, and reviews seem to be mixed. I guess this just has to be one you will either love or loathe.

Personally, I loved the idea that this was a novel about the ordinary kids; the ones who are not chosen to spend their lives fighting demons and saving the world. Mikey and his friends, however, appear to lead far from ordinary lives…they have issues aplenty, without needing to worry about the impending apocalypse that seems to be threatening their town.

I loved the clever chapter starts that keep us abreast of the lives of the Indie kids that are going to save us. There are lots of knowing nods, and the characters are quirky without being irritating. Sly humour and some touching moments. My only gripe (now I’ve finished the novel) is the resolution for Jared, Mikey’s friend, who happens to be God of Cats. It seems to go against everything we’ve been fed through the story, and I wonder whether there’s some deep philosophical idea that I’m missing.

I have heard Patrick Ness referred to – fondly, I hasten to add – as the Dark Lord. Based on this, I think his power is growing…

‘Concentr8’ – William Sutcliffe

Due to be published 27th August 2015, I have to thank NetGalley and Bloomsbury Childrens for giving me an advance digital copy of this novel.

The cover stands out, but it was the description of the book that stood out for me. Set in a future London, Concentr8 is the cheaper version of drugs used to treat children with ADD. It quickly becomes the ‘go-to’ drug, and a way of keeping what are perceived to be troubled teens in line.

Blaze and his crew have been taking Concentr8 for as long as they can remember. When supplies are removed, rioting breaks out across the city. What makes Blaze and his friends take hostage one of the Mayor’s employees we never really find out. What we get is an account of the five days following this decision.

We witness these events from many viewpoints, but never Blaze’s, and this was one of the most infuriating things about the novel. We are granted a tantalising glimpse into Blaze’s mind when he arranges an interview with a broadsheet journalist. He is evidently articulate and has academic potential, but social policies have ensured he is denied opportunities that would make a difference.

This was an interesting concept, and it certainly gets you thinking about how certain behaviours are managed, but I would have liked more.