Book Review: Everything She Lost by Alessandra Harris

Posted in Book Reviews by Namrata Ganti

I was provided with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book will be out on 2nd January 2018 and is already available for per-order.

About the Book:

Everything She Lost

After suffering a mental breakdown that nearly destroyed her marriage, Nina Taylor works hard to maintain her tenuous hold on sanity and be a good mother to her two young daughters. Despite her best efforts, she questions the possibility of a full recovery.

Single mom Deja Johnson struggles to overcome her troubled past and raise her young son. But her friendship with Nina brings more complications. What Deja is hiding could not only destroy relationships, but endanger lives.

One traumatic night threatens to shatter Nina’s mind. With Deja’s help, she strives to maintain her mental balance. But as events spiral out of control, the women must find out if Nina is losing her sanity or if someone is plotting against her.

My Thoughts:

This is an interesting story which deals with the relevant topic of depression and mental breakdowns. The story revolves around Nina, as she struggles to recover from her mental breakdown and keep her marriage from breaking apart. Her husband and the society in general seem to be afraid of her and do not trust her. Nina’s main support system comes from her father and Deja.

Deja, a single mom who makes do with what she has, finds herself running from her past and nursing a broken relationship with her mother, whom she blames for everything. What Nina isn’t aware of initially is the nature of the relationship between her husband and Deja, both of whom seem to share an interesting camaraderie. We later see how these bonds formed are used all for money while putting at risk the trust placed in one another.

As the story progresses, we are given glimpses into Nina’s and Deja’s pasts, a comparison of the very different worlds they come from and the kind of lives they lived. At times it feels as though the story is being dragged along for no reason, with minor repetitions with respect to things Deja keeps thinking. This dilutes the seriousness and intensity of emotions and might even cause the reader to get bored. Towards the end, the author introduces a twist in the plot very subtly which most readers may not see coming. This has been well executed, but later on the sequence of events feel over the top.

However, on a serious note, the author brings out the difficulties of dealing with a a mental illness, no matter how small it is and how the people dealing with this are treated. She also emphasizes on the need for a strong support system. This book is definitely worth a one time read mainly in connection to the issues discussed and the way in which people can try to misuse it.

6Jun2017

Book Review: Broken Branches by M. Jonathan Lee

Posted in Book Reviews by Namrata Ganti

I was provided with a copy of this book by Hideaway Fall publishers in exchange for an honest review.

About the Book:

Broken Branches

‘Family curses don’t exist. Sure, some families seem to suffer more pain than others, but a curse? An actual curse? I don’t think so.’

A family tragedy was the catalyst for Ian Perkins to return to the isolated cottage with his wife and young son. But now they are back, it seems yet more grief might befall the family.

There is still time to act, but that means Ian must face the uncomfortable truth about his past. And in doing so, he must uncover the truth behind the supposed family curse.

My Thoughts:

Wow! This is an intense emotional roller coaster, that will hold your attention until the end. The story is well-written and the beauty of it is that the author doesn’t give away anything until the very end! It proves to be impossible to predict the direction the story will take and is even more difficult to figure out what is real and what is not! The title of the story becomes clear by the end and is quite apt according to me.

The story follows Ian Perkins as he tries to find out more about his family and it’s history, tracing back along the years while trying to prove the existence of a legendary family curse. The reason behind this need becomes clear only after the reader has completed the book! We are also introduced to Rachel, Ian’s wife who doesn’t believe in the curses’ existence and their adorable son Harry, who seems to have boundless energy. The emotions run deep and the descriptions are vivid, sometimes giving the reader chills at the end of it.

The author sets the tone of the story right from the first page as he describes the cottage, the iconic tree and the various people who have resided in this place. Chapters alternate between the present times and the past, introducing us to various people who were a part of or influenced Ian’s life. The author expertly describes the mental stability of his characters and brings out their thoughts and emotions, thus making it hard for the reader to completely judge until the end.

Hold on to your seats and emotions as you are in for an interesting and thought provoking time with this book! It is worth the read, touching upon some rather pertinent topics related to family, relationships and a persons psyche as a result of tragedy as the truth comes out.

30Dec2016

Conversations Among Ruins by Matthew Peters

Posted in Book Reviews by Namrata Ganti

About the Book:

Conversations Among Ruins

CONVERSATIONS AMONG RUINS is a portrait of a descent into madness, and the potential of finding salvation there.

While in detox, Daniel Stavros, a young, dual diagnosed* professor meets and falls in love with the cryptic Mimi Dexter. But Mimi has secrets and, strangely, a tattoo identical to a pendant Daniel’s mother gave him right before she died.

Drawn together by broken pasts, they pursue a twisted, tempestuous romance. When it ends, a deteriorating Stavros seeks refuge at a mountain cabin where a series of surreal experiences brings him face to face with something he’s avoided all his life: himself.

Though miles away, Mimi’s actions run oddly parallel to Daniel’s. Will either be redeemed, or will both careen toward self-destruction?

*The term dual diagnosed refers to someone suffering from a mood disorder (e.g., depression) and chemical dependency.

My thoughts:

A raw, deep, emotional book, this will give the reader an insight into a troubled soul and the mind of a person dual diagnosed. The author seeks to bring out the troubles of a young professor who wants to avoid confronting his inner demons. When he meets Mimi while in rehab, he falls in love and we are drawn into a world of love, secrets and some amount of mystic is thrown in. Mimi has her own share of secrets and they are forced to decide how to proceed with their lives.

Written beautifully, the author pulls us into Daniel’s world of confusion and inebriation. Between the two, we are as confused as Daniel and ultimately imagination and reality seem to merge and the line between them disappears. As with the author’s style of writing, all the plot lines in this book are important and come together very well by the end of the story.

We are shown the importance of life along with the necessity and ways of dealing with alcoholism and mental illness. The descriptions are vivid and conversations are thought provoking and the question of whether our characters attain salvation will encourage the reader to finish the book. There is a message to this book and I am sure many can relate to some of the topics raised in this story. For the style of writing and the concept, I strongly recommend this book which I enjoyed immensely.

31Aug2014

In conversation with Megan Cyrulewski

Posted in Author Interviews, BookWorld by Namrata Ganti

In conversation with Megan Cyrulewski. She has written her memoir, Who Am I? How My Daughter Taught Me to Let Go and Live Again, which was released on August 2, 2014. The book is about her journey into post-partum depression, anxiety disorder, panic attacks, stays in the psych ward, divorce, domestic violence, law school, how she managed to graduate from law school and a beautiful little girl who emerged from all of the chaos. There are two extremely important messages she would like to get across:

One: Postpartum Depression still has a negative stigma attached to it. Women shouldn’t be afraid to seek treatment if they feel something is wrong.

Two: Emotional abuse is a form of domestic violence and is not to be taken lightly. It took 10 strangers in a group therapy session in the hospital psych ward to tell me that I was in an emotionally abusive marriage and that I needed to get out for the sake of my daughter.

I will be posting my review of her memoir soon. Here is what Megan has to say:

What inspired you to start writing?

Everyone kept telling me that I should write a book about everything that had happened. I love to write so I figured, why not?

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am from Michigan – born and raised. I have a beautiful, intelligent, but sometimes sassy, little girl named Madelyne Rose. I’m an attorney specializing in court mediation but I’m also an author. I’m working on my second book – crime fiction.

How did writing your memoir help you deal with your past?

It was closure for me. That part of my life is past and I am now in the present and plan to stay there.

How easy/difficult was it to write it?

There were days I had to walk away from my computer. It was difficult reliving some of the tough times but I don’t regret writing the book.

What are your hobbies?

Reading (obviously), swimming, and watching reality TV – some trashy. It’s my vice. I can’t help it!

What led to law as a career choice?

I have always loved the law but I never thought I was smart enough to get into law school. When I started disliking my career in the non-profit sector, I thought I might as well take the LSAT and see what happens. I passed and was offered admission to two good law schools here in Michigan.

How do you manage your time around work, your daughter and writing?

Luckily, I’m my own boss so I can make my own schedule. Plus, Madelyne is in pre-school full time. But when she comes home, I put all of my work away and spend time with her.