Article contributed by Tessa Qi
What would you do if you learnt that there was a possibility of you being diagnosed with schizophrenia? Would you give up your dreams and spend the rest of your life in fear of what may happen because of the illness or would you continue smiling ahead, take risks and discover your true self?
Sydney Holmes is a young and spirited eighteen-year-old, she has a best friend named Elliot and she often sings in his band for fun. She has a great voice and is passionate towards music, like her father. She is about to attend NYU and has a whole new life ahead of her, however things do not often go as planned.
At first, her mother seems to be especially devastated by Sydney’s decision of moving to someplace far away from home. It seems that Sydney’s mother had always hoped Sydney would stay close to her during college, but she has other plans for herself. Sydney’s father had left both of them when Sydney was still young due to a drug addiction and alcoholism and what’s left of him is only a vague memory. Yet however, that doesn’t seem to be the whole story of his absence. Despite not having a father figure for the past eighteen years, Sydney keeps imagining her father being around her all the time and she would talk to him as an imaginary friend since she was young to seek guidance from him especially when she’s stressed or sad.
Apart from family problems, Sydney’s personal life also faces its challenges. Elliot has recently had a new addition to the band, a very skilled and talented young guitar player named Grayson who is about to start at Juilliard and most importantly, has a girlfriend who is said to be perfect (oh dear). Yet, Sydney finds herself very attracted to him even though he is very much off limits (*tsk tsk*).
But while she dreams of her future and occasionally Grayson (of course), life takes a dramatic turn for Sydney as she discovers a life-changing truth about her father’s true reason for leaving and her mother’s secret fear of having Sydney far away from home: her father has been dealing with schizophrenia for years. He has been living on the streets of New York City and she also learnt that there’s a possibility of her inheriting schizophrenia as well. Shocked by this revelation, Sydney seizes this only opportunity to discover more about her father and to learn what’s in store for her if she too is diagnosed with schizophrenia, an illness if serious enough can cause damage to both her and the ones closest to her.
This book is such a bittersweet story as it deals with dilemmas, mental illness, coping mechanisms of teenage angst, and family relationships. It especially has a realistic approach to mental illnesses, not just schizophrenia but also common ones like anxiety and depression. Sydney’s imaginary father works as a coping mechanism as she continuously deals with depression in which she would replace her father’s absence with her imagination of what her father would be like if he had been here with her all those years. It’s quite sad to see Sydney struggle with a father-shaped hole in her life but eventually she learned to let go if she wants to be better. Her complicated relationship with her mother is also another important part of the story. Not just her mother’s overprotectiveness becomes too much for Sydney, but the secrets that she and her grandparents kept from her are the reasons in which their relationship gradually becomes rocky as they are both stubborn people but they learn to compromise and to be better for each other.
Her relationship with Grayson is another highlight within the story, it seems to be both challenging and easy at the same time. He has a girlfriend so he’s definitely off-limits, but you also can’t ignore the chemistry between them. They get along so well as they both have a fiery passion for music, and Sydney couldn’t help but continue to fall for him. She also faces the dilemma of whether to continue being friends with Grayson given the possibility of her being diagnosed with schizophrenia, she couldn’t possibly hurt him like her father did to her mother (poor girl, she is being dumped with so many responsibilities all at once).
I enjoyed this book so much, there are moments where your heart cries for Sydney and there are times where you want to laugh out loud. Amongst all the heartbreaking moments, Sydney never gives up. She’s such a brave, passionate, and strong protagonist and she makes the decision to continue to fight for herself. Filled with hope, Between the Bliss and Me brings forth a close exploration into the world of mental illness, provoking the readers into focusing more about the people around us who have the inclination of being diagnosed with mental illnesses. The characters are all filled with life and each one of them has their own distinctive characteristics, no one is perfect but they’re trying their best to be better, for themselves if not for their loved ones.
Between The Bliss and Me is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Acclaimed author Lizzy Mason delivers a moving contemporary YA novel about mental illness, young romance, and the impact of family history on one teen’s future, perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson, Robin Benway, and Kathleen Glasgow.
When eighteen-year-old Sydney Holman announces that she has decided to attend NYU, her overprotective mom is devastated. Her decision means she will be living in the Big City instead of commuting to nearby Rutgers like her mom had hoped. It also means she’ll be close to off-limits but dreamy Grayson—a guitar prodigy who is going to Juilliard in the fall and very much isn’t single.
But while she dreams of her new life, Sydney discovers a world-changing truth about her father, who left when she was little due to a drug addiction—that he has schizophrenia and is currently living on the streets of New York City. She seizes the opportunity to get to know him, to understand who he is and learn what may lie in store for her if she, too, is diagnosed.
Even as she continues to fall for Grayson, Sydney is faced with a difficult decision: Should she stay close to home so her mom can watch over her, or follow the desire to take risks and discover her true self?
