Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Although their relationship has been repaired since the disaster that was Cambridge, Darren has not. His depression has worsened over the years until it is no longer an option to watch the illness play out its patterns. Treatment is a must.

Treatment is also a difficult disaster. When the second attempt at medication goes as badly wrong as the first, and Darren is forced through a rapid deterioration of mood swings, insomnia, nausea and increasingly dangerous thought patterns, his partner Jayden begins to fear that the only end to this disease will also be the end of Darren himself.

Apart from a single glimmer of hope: when Darren's best friend asks Darren to play at his wedding, Darren begins to slowly return to the half-forgotten piano. As he slowly sinks back into the music that he deserted seven years earlier, the shadows -- finally -- begin to fade.

 

Book Review

“... When you're standing at the crossroads and don't know which path to choose, let me come along 'cause even if you're wrong, I'll stand by you...I'll never desert you. I'll stand by you.” ~ Pretenders-I'll Stand by You'

Learning to manage mental illness is similar to learning to control an addiction; it is also very different because when addicted, you purge your body of the chemicals which are interfering with your brain. With depression, the chemicals which become unbalanced are part of your brain and, therefore indispensable. At best, you can learn how to manage the beast within, partly by remaining vigilant of triggers which threaten to draw you back into the darkness in. In 'Rhapsody on a Theme' by Matthew J. Metzger, Darren and Jayden are determined to stay together, but are struggling to find a way to ease Darren's symptoms and give him, and consequently them, a reasonably normal life.

As with any issue, admitting that a problem exists is a huge step in the right direction. Finding a combination of medication and counseling that will allow him to feel more like himself is proving to be a greater challenge than either Darren or Jayden realize. It's one step forward and two back. Darren is understandably discouraged when neither counseling nor medications help in his battle to stabilize his moods. He's losing hope of ever being able to have a normal relationship and wondering if he should let Jayden go. The thing is, Darren loves Jayden so much, he needs him so much, that he can't bear to leave him. Instead of helping, the medication actually makes things worse and makes Darren even less likely to try something else. Things are so dark for Darren that he slips back into thoughts of suicide, which seems like the only relief. When the doctors are finally able to come up with something that helps, Darren begins to feel alive again. Still, he waits for the dark clouds to appear, for his bad mood to turn into a full blown episode. When it doesn't, he actually feels as though he can begin to live again. Darren finds that he needs to leave behind a lot of things in the past, but not everything. There are things he needs to keep such as Jayden, his best friends, and his music. Without those, there would be no happiness in the future.

Jayden is exhausted trying to help Darren, but continues valiantly on, checking on him to make sure he's safe; locking up medicine; holding him when he needs it; basically, doing any and everything possible to help Darren fight the battle raging within his head. Like it or not, even with all the support Jayden can give him, the final resolution is up to Darren and that's hard for Jayden to accept. He wants to shelter Darren from the world and from himself. It's taking its toll on Jayden too. He's tired on so many levels, anxious, and is wearing himself out trying to be positive, especially with so much going wrong. Jayden never loses faith in their love and holds them together with willpower alone sometimes. Whatever it takes, Jayden is in for the long haul. He can't imagine life without his Darren. When Darren begins to noticeably feel better, Jayden can hardly believe it, especially when music becomes a part of his life again. As things continue to improve, Jayden relaxes some, and though he will never be complacent, they will endure.

The descriptions of Darren's episodes were hard to get through without bringing up bad memories of my own which made it almost too real for me. When brain chemistry goes haywire, all reason disappears. Behavior which a non-afflicted person can't even imagine can and does occur, regardless of the consequences. I commend Matthew for dealing with such a difficult and painful topic. Although important advances have been made, there's still a great deal of misinformation and lack of understanding about the subject. Going through the process of recovery with Darren and Jayden was hard to bear, but having them succeed was like the sun coming out on a rainy day. They deserve their happy ending. Fans of the series will, no doubt, be as heartbroken, frustrated, and disappointed as I was, while rooting for Darren and Jayden, but will also rejoice with them on their success. For those of you who have not experienced this informative, moving, intense love story, I recommend that you read it, because, otherwise, you will be missing a unique, special reading experience. Thank you, Matthew, for bringing Jayden and Darren into my life.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by JMS Books for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 83786 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	18-May-2014
Price	$5.59 ebook
Buy Link	http://www.jms-books.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29&products_id=1146