Rating: 5/5
Review:
Another fine, enjoyable book from Gavin Extence
This is another very good book from Gavin Extence. Like the rest of the world, I loved The Universe vs. Alex Woods and tried this on the strength of it. I wasn't disappointed.
What follows may be a bit of a spoiler - so be warned - but it is fairly well-publicised and it would be impossible to give an idea of the book without it, I think. The story is narrated by Abby, a young freelance journalist who has bipolar disorder. We travel with her through her phases and see them all from within - and that is the principal story of the book, really.
It all sounds grim, worthy and turgid but is actually witty, involving and rather uplifting in many ways. Abby's voice is funny, honest, charming and utterly believable and through it her life and her behaviour and its consequences are superbly evoked, I think. She is a witty and engaging protagonist with whom I empathised strongly. The section in which she is in a manic phase had me utterly gripped and had my heart pounding, and I found the whole thing extremely engrossing and revealing while also making me laugh sometimes.
This is a rather different book from Alex Woods but I think it's no less good. I think this stands well with some of the first-rate books narrated by characters with mental health problems of varying kinds and severity. It is a warm, witty, honest, insightful and brave book which I can recommend warmly.
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