Melody Black appears late in the book; the actual
narrator is Abby Williams and the reader lives in her skin throughout. She is bubbly and lively, not to mention
quirky as evidenced by her reaction to finding a neighbour dead in the flat
next door. That incident is the catalyst
to a rise in her article-writing fortunes, and her mood with it.
But with a bi-polar diagnosis such rises are
a risk and Abby goes into a manic phase inevitably followed by a depressive
slide.
Extence deals with both sides of the coin
with apparent authenticity and the settings – home, therapists, institution and
remote retreat are convincingly drawn.
Abby is an engaging and vulnerable character, making her easy for the
reader to empathise with and root for.
Oh, and Melody Black turns up eventually
with an unfortunate link to Abby’s past and with an interesting theory on why
people ‘go nuts’. Apart from that, the
book manages to be both informative on bi-polar disorder and an entertaining
read.
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