Book Review: When Red Is Blue

Book Review by Toni G. Sinns
Book Title: When Red Is Blue
Author: Sabrynne Mclain
About the Author: Sabrynne McLain received her B.A. and M.S. degrees from Michigan State University and then went on to hold numerous positions in marketing, operations and finance in the U.S. and U.K. In addition to her first published article in the Journal of Consumer Marketing, she has written for travel and lifestyle websites such as Pology.com and Panalba.com. During her tenure as a financial adviser, she was also asked to write a three-part series on financial planning for Scottish Woman magazine. She currently divides her time between writing (her author blog, the occasional article and her next novel) and running an editing and proofreading business. She lives in Edinburgh, U.K. with her partner Gareth Thomas and a very demanding cat named Barnaby. When Red Is Blue is her first novel.
Book Description: Kate Faraday, a young woman from a small town in Michigan, dreams of leaving her past behind her and moving to California. But when her schizophrenic mother is found dead in a ravine, Kate is forced to examine her conflicting emotions over her mother’s death, while coping with the demands of her alcoholic father and local residents who witnessed the shame of her childhood. In the end, Kate discovers that the most difficult relationship to reconcile is the one she has with herself. When Red Is Blue is a fictionalized account of events that took place during Sabrynne McLain’s childhood and twenties. It paints a vivid picture of the emotional trauma and self-esteem issues faced by children of dysfunctional parents, while leading the reader through a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance.



My ReviewStory Line: You follow Kate through multiple memories and moments in her life. You watch her deal with issues with her father, issues with her mother, and issues with herself.
Characters: Sofia, Colin, Kate,  Kate’s father, and the whole town of Cooper
Full Concept: I believe this book does a masterful job showing how a family can be torn apart by mental issues and yet still trying to make everything work. How secretes are kept from friends for the hope of being normal and not having them look down at the mentally sick. It shows how one struggles to deal with the sick person and themselves.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed this book. Following the struggles that a mentally ill family member can cause for themselves, their family, and those around them is hard. Nobody can truly make you feel and understand these struggles however this book does give you a really close attempt at that. Mental illness is hard to go through, hard to understand and hard to explain.  This book has a strong base of knowledge on the issues and conveys it to the reader in an insightful story. Very enjoyable read.

Grab your copy today!Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/When-Red-Blue-Sabrynne-McLain/dp/0957128509/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338318565&sr=8-1
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/When-Red-Is-Blue-ebook/dp/B0075EVGSO/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1338318565&sr=8-1
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-red-is-blue-sabrynne-mclain/1109921009?ean=9780957128507