More on the competition-- Review of A Blue So Dark

A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler is the second of my fellow nominees for the YA Book of the Year Award from Foreword Magazine that I have read. And, for the second time, I am thoroughly honored to be nominated with this totally excellent novel.

This novel is told through the voice of fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose, who is artistic, sarcastic, and keenly insightful. Her father is MIA and her mother, also an artist, is a schizophrenic who was decided to go off of her meds. Aura vividly describes the disintegration of her mother's mental state, as well as her own life, as the illness takes over. Standard teen moments, likether first kiss with that boy, are interspersed between moments of Aura skipping school to put out the fire her mother attempts to start in the bathroom.

Beautiful and terrifying, the book explores the link between mental illness and creativity, from the perspective of a family member. There were a few minor complaints I had-- I wish Schindler had taken her time a bit more at the onset, showing us mom before she got sick, and creating some normalcy for Aura before we see her life crumble. Overall, though, a wonderful read and highly recommended.