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Review: A blue so dark by Holly Schindler

A Blue so Dark by Holly Schindler
Published by Flux books



Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura's dad left them. Convinced that "creative" equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears.

***
A blue so dark is a beautifully written novel which highlights the issue of living with and looking after a parent with a mental illness. It tells in an almost poetic way of the trials and tribulations of a teenager coping in such a situation in a realistic way.

I found myself totally absorbed by the story of Aura and how her life revolves around dealing with her mother. It is totally heart breaking to see how it changes her life and affects and prevents her from carrying on her life like a normal teenager. I almost wanted to go in scoop her up and take her away from it all and look after her. I found myself getting angry at the adults in Aura's life who all but turned a blind eye to her situation.

A haunting a beautifully told book which I would definitely recommend which I am certainly not doing justice to with this review.

Comments

serendipity_viv said…
I haven't heard of this one before. It does sound intriguing.
Liz. R said…
I love the sound of this one - it sounds like a dark read, and the story looks so intriguing. Glad you enjoyed it :).
Ive not heard of this one before but it sounds really interesting, that cover is very cool too!
I did not know this was about mental illness - I honestly thought it was a paranormal *doh*
That is a truly touching review thank you
I hadn't heard of this one but it sounds like one that would be interesting to read dealing with young carers.
I'm really interested in this one after you've mentioned how it seems to central around mental illness. I'll admit, I had this one on my wishlist previously because I liked the cover but didn't know much about it! I think it shall now go BACK on the wishlist, but for good reason now. Thanks for the great review :)