Amy has a normal life. That is, if you were to go by a definition of ‘no obvious indicators of peculiarity’, and you didn’t know her very well. She has good friends, a good job, a nice enough home. This normality, however, is precariously plastered on top of a different life. A life that is Amy’s real life. The only one her brain will let her lead. A fictional story that depicts the reality of mental illness behind a perception of normality.
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Number of Pages: 281 pages
Date of Publication: 02/08/2019
Author/Illustrator/Publisher:
The author of the book is Lana Grace Riva
Rating: 4.5/5
Review:
Mental Health and depression are topics that are extremely important to talk about and to understand.
I was so happy to have come across this book as the story is simple and easy to follow but the importance and focus it places on mental health is great and how it is portrayed was written incredible well and in a very sensible manner. Amy has a job, friends and everything seems good in her life but the truth is far more complex as nobody really knows what is happening in a person’s own reality. Every day Amy battles to get out of bed and to make sense of her life. She suffers from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and depression but she tries really hard to hide this from co-workers and friends. The plot focuses on Amy’s life and how she really lives and thinks and the fact we are able to see inside Amy’s head and to listen to what she thinks and how she sees the world gave the otherwise simple story great depth.
I really enjoyed the writing and how the story developed. Amy’s character was well thought through and all the supporting characters played very important roles in the story. One small criticism would be that while I know the story was about Amy and written from her perspective I still wish we had some more insight into some of the secondary characters’ own thoughts and feelings.
I will definitely recommend this book to anyone but for different reasons for different people. This book is great for anyone who wants to know more about mental health and how people live with different conditions but is also great for individuals who struggle with their own mental health to read a book that discusses and normalises living with mental health issues.
During my life I have had several episodes of depression during different circumstances and situations and I felt that I identified strongly with Amy’s character, especially her overthinking things and how sometimes a person’s perception of your attitude, reaction or behaviour could sometimes be wrong as they might not notice that you might be battling with a mental health condition. This is why I think it is important for everyone to know a little bit about the topic and to read a story like this where the author can let us have a glimpse of how living with mental health can be extremely difficult and how asking for help is not as easy as it sounds.
I’m so happy I read this book.
Availability: The book is available on Amazon as a kindle edition or Paperback.
Copy gifted by Lana Grace Riva
Shelf Life 
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