Sunday, June 1, 2014

ELEPHANT IN THE SKY (HEATHER A. CLARK)


Story Description:
ECW Press|May 1, 2014|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1-77041-083-1

The stigma of mental illness and the power of a mother's love come together in this achingly honest novel. Widely acclaimed for her ability to tell emotionally powerful stories that capture the real lives of women, bestselling author Heather A. Clark tackles the subject of childhood mental disorders. ELEPHANT IN THE SKY is told from both nine-year-old Nate's point of view and that of his mother, Ashely, an overworkd ad executive who struggles with a demanding workload and the worry that she's not spending enough time with her family - especially as her son's battle with mental unbalance and paranoid delusions escalates. The two narratives converge in a deeply moving tale of a family dealing with mental illness. ELEPHANT IN THE SKY is a story about unconditional love, and it articulates a complicated, real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity. It looks at what it means to be different in our society and beautifully explores the distance a mother will go to protect her child.
My Review:
ELEPHANT IN THE SKY was a riveting read. The characters were well fleshed out and the situation of dealing with mental illness was real, it was like reading a true story. I felt that Ashely and her husband were a bit slow on the uptake in picking up the fact that their nine-year-old son was exhibiting behaviours that were very inappropriate for his age and felt they should have sought help for him much sooner than when they did. However, they finally did become involved with the right people and the story moved at a steady pace holding my attention page after page after page.

This was one book I really enjoyed! Heather's first book was titled: Chai Tea Sunday and was also an excellent read.

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