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A review by bibliophile_xo
Invitation to the Blues by Roan Parrish
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
As an avid reader, there are often things that make my heart sing (ofc). But few things that do quite as much as accurate and gritty representations of disability in fiction.
As a therapist and as someone who suffers from my own diagnoses, these representations of mental illness---navigating it, living with it, how it impacts our r/ships + interactions---mean the world and a half to me.
Jude is easily the best character I've ever read dealing with depression. Maybe for selfish reasons on my part. Why? Depression has many faces and this character felt like a mirror because he was wearing mine; it was uncanny. When he talked about desperate enthusiasm projected by loved ones, I felt that. Feeling like less of an adult because his brain didn't function like a neurotypical? Felt. Scent sensitivity, check. Difficulty with social interactions? Check and check. Among other things.
Anyway, I didn't mean to turn this to a confessional.
I loved this story because it's poignant, powerful, emotional and evocative. It was gentle, not pushy or recriminatory (much like Faron who I absolutely loved, btw). Maggie was also my favorite and I wish I had local friends like her.
I love that the story didn't frame depression as something "cured" by a romantic relationship but sorta framed Jude's life as a journey more difficult than others because of his baseline and his lows. A journey mitigated by being heard, accepted and cared for AND him caring for, listening to, understanding and learning to accept himself.
100/100 would recommend.
As a therapist and as someone who suffers from my own diagnoses, these representations of mental illness---navigating it, living with it, how it impacts our r/ships + interactions---mean the world and a half to me.
Jude is easily the best character I've ever read dealing with depression. Maybe for selfish reasons on my part. Why? Depression has many faces and this character felt like a mirror because he was wearing mine; it was uncanny. When he talked about desperate enthusiasm projected by loved ones, I felt that. Feeling like less of an adult because his brain didn't function like a neurotypical? Felt. Scent sensitivity, check. Difficulty with social interactions? Check and check. Among other things.
Anyway, I didn't mean to turn this to a confessional.
I loved this story because it's poignant, powerful, emotional and evocative. It was gentle, not pushy or recriminatory (much like Faron who I absolutely loved, btw). Maggie was also my favorite and I wish I had local friends like her.
I love that the story didn't frame depression as something "cured" by a romantic relationship but sorta framed Jude's life as a journey more difficult than others because of his baseline and his lows. A journey mitigated by being heard, accepted and cared for AND him caring for, listening to, understanding and learning to accept himself.
100/100 would recommend.