A review by zzara
Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book was absolutely magnificent. The love story between Regan, a bipolar artist and former counterfeiter, and Aldo, a depressed mathematician, had its problematic elements but ultimately I was rooting for them to find the necessary equilibrium to co-exist and sustain their relationship. Because this book was very existential and theoretical about the place of individuals in the universe, I was a bit worried that this book would give me a bit of pretentious vibe which is something I have a very low tolerance for. And yet, I thought it was done perfectly. The discussions about time and the universe seemed authentic to me, maybe because they were loosely based on the author's relationship and discussions with her husband. 

I also thought (from my own perspective not having experienced bipolar), that the author dealt with the topic of mental illness and medication really sensitively - even though
Regan found happiness and functionality without medication,
, the book didn't ascribe a moral judgement to the taking or not taking of medication to manage mental illness. It was just Regan's story. 

The ending was perfect. I thought the third act conflict was well done if not a bit predictable (
for a bit I thought that maybe Regan or Aldo would suddenly die so I was very relieved that didn't happen
), and I loved the resolution. The only thing that confused me a bit about this book was that the format of the writing jumped around a bit - the cast of narrators in the first part fell away (thankfully, as I found them a bit annoying) and some parts omitted quotation marks. This book had me emotionally gripped and seeing hexagons and bees in the world around me, I really loved it.
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