A Blue So Dark

A Blue So Dark

By: Holly Schindler

Terrified that her mother, a schizophrenic and an artist, is a mirror that reflects her own future, sixteen-year-old Aura struggles with her overwhelming desires to both chase artistic pursuits and keep madness at bay.

As her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet keeps drawing Aura toward the depths of her own imagination—the shadows of make-believe that she finds frighteningly similar to her mother’s hallucinations.

Convinced that creative equals crazy, Aura shuns her art, and her life unravels in the process.

summary from book

My Rating: 4.5/5

A Blue So Dark is one of the most beautifully written novels that I've had the pleasure of reading. I really don't think that my own words will suffice in doing this book justice nor will they sum up just how much I enjoyed this novel. I have to say that Holly Schindler is an immensely talented new author whose future writing projects I am eagerly anticipating. She has such a way with words it's incredible. I read so many phrases and sections of this novel over and over again because they were so beautifully depicted and described. Every part of this book was just so lyrically poetic not to mention inspiring. It is a novel that will never fully leave me.

I've never read a book that centers on mental illness, especially not schizophrenia and I have to say that Schindler did a fantastic job with making every scene and occurrence seem as if I were living it as well. I could feel Aura's pain and sadness radiating through the pages as if it were my own. It is an amazing experience to be so consumed by a story, to care so much for fictional characters as if they were living and breathing people in your own life. Everything about this story was real and raw and never sugarcoated. Even in happier times, there is such a realistic quality to everything occurring withing the A Blue So Dark. Nothing is forced or out of place and everything develops gracefully and with purpose.

I'm a big fan of well developed characters and Schindler has created quite an amazing cast of them in this debut novel. They really are the heart and soul of this incredible story. From Aura to Grace to Nell and Janny, each character brings something different to the table and contributes something significant no matter how large a role they play.

Overall: A Blue So Dark really is a beautiful story that I fully recommend to everyone and anyone. It will drawn you in and is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression.