The Weight Of Zero
Are you the type of person who tastes a little something new and exciting and all of a sudden you can't get enough? That is how it has been with me for getting into fantasy books. I get the Sarah J Maas hype now. The thing is, I completely overdosed. I put myself in a reading slump and could hardly read anything for about a week. I was frustrated with myself. Watched Itunes, watched Netflix, played games on my I-pad. Then I opened up my I-books section and saw that I had downloaded The Weight Of Zero. A contemporary full of emotions.
Seventeen-year-old Cath knows Zero is coming for her. Zero, the devastating depression born of Catherine’s bipolar disease, has almost triumphed once, propelling Catherine to her first suicide attempt. With Zero only temporarily restrained by the latest med du jour, time is running out. In an old ballet shoebox, Catherine stockpiles meds, preparing to take her own life when Zero next arrives. But Zero’s return is delayed. Unexpected relationships along with the care of a new psychiatrist start to alter Catherine's perception of her diagnosis. But will this be enough? This is a story of loss and grief and hope and how the many shapes of love – maternal, romantic and platonic – impact a young woman’s struggle with mental illness.
Is it weird that these types of books are some of my favorites? I mean, they are sad but hopeful. Have so many triggers and yet, I keep getting drawn into these stories. It was the break I needed from fantasy. I was drawn in in a breathless way. Karen's writing is utterly beautiful and raw. There were times where I felt that I crawled inside the pages of the book and was living the feelings of these characters.
I felt the anger they felt, felt the pain and sadness and confusion. I felt all of the characters alive inside of me.
If you can handle reading these kind of stories, I highly recommend them. I feel like readers can learn so much from these books yet also find characters that are easy to relate to. We are not alone and that is something that Cath often feels. That she is alone in her illness, that she doesn't have anybody to support her.
Karen brings in a secondary character to help Cath in a unique way. Jane is a smaller character but such an important one to the story. I was so impressed with how Jane and her story was woven into the book and how Jane made such a huge impact on Cath.
I read that Karen is a lawyer and I was stunned! Who would ever have thought that a lawyer could put out such an amazing book like this!
I am highly anticipating her next novel, because this debut, just blew me away!
