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A review by melonreads
Invitation to the Blues by Roan Parrish
5.0
I don’t even know what to say about this book, truly. Sometimes books are light and fluff - let me be clear, NOTHING wrong with those books - I read a lot of them and love them. But this is not THAT book. This is a book that is both heartbreaking and hopeful, full of raw pain and love and there’s so much in this book that made me feel...well, just feel.
The mental health representation in this book is one of the best I’ve ever read. Professional pianist Jude has depression, months before the start of the book, he had to be hospitalized after attempting suicide. Now back in his hometown, he’s struggling to slowly rebuild his life.
Tattoo artist and painter Faron works at Small Change, the tattoo place owned by Jude’s brother’s girlfriend. He has his own backstory and is the caretaking, nurturing hero we all need in our lives.
There’s a plot point in the book that involves Faron getting Jude this broken down piano and Jude spends much of the book essentially taking apart and fixing and rebuilding the piano and it’s such a beautiful metaphor for how, if you love something that’s so inherently broken and damaged, you try to fix it and even if it’s never perfect, it still has value and use. And so, while Jude carefully works on this piano, Faron’s love is the healing balm Jude needs to sort of get his life back. It’s really the loveliest book.
I cried because somehow I had landed somewhere I wanted to be and I realized perhaps it was the first time I’d wanted to be somewhere. I cried because I finally knew what it felt like to love someone more than I hated myself.
CW for mental health, depression, attempted suicide (off page), emotionally abusive ex.
The mental health representation in this book is one of the best I’ve ever read. Professional pianist Jude has depression, months before the start of the book, he had to be hospitalized after attempting suicide. Now back in his hometown, he’s struggling to slowly rebuild his life.
Tattoo artist and painter Faron works at Small Change, the tattoo place owned by Jude’s brother’s girlfriend. He has his own backstory and is the caretaking, nurturing hero we all need in our lives.
There’s a plot point in the book that involves Faron getting Jude this broken down piano and Jude spends much of the book essentially taking apart and fixing and rebuilding the piano and it’s such a beautiful metaphor for how, if you love something that’s so inherently broken and damaged, you try to fix it and even if it’s never perfect, it still has value and use. And so, while Jude carefully works on this piano, Faron’s love is the healing balm Jude needs to sort of get his life back. It’s really the loveliest book.
I cried because somehow I had landed somewhere I wanted to be and I realized perhaps it was the first time I’d wanted to be somewhere. I cried because I finally knew what it felt like to love someone more than I hated myself.
CW for mental health, depression, attempted suicide (off page), emotionally abusive ex.