(Steeplechase) Unless by Carol Shields 3 stars

[Lyn]

Unless by Carol Shields
3 - 3.5 stars

Unless is an interesting book. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it definitely picked up.

Norah Winters is going through something and her parents don't understand. Norah has given up her scholarship and dropped out of university and now sits on a Toronto street corner with a sign that says "Goodness". This has caused her mother, Reta Winters, her own mental health crisis as she feels helpless to help her daughter. She becomes unable to work, she is a writer and translator and she is missing deadlines because she is unable to focus. As I was reading her downward spiral I could feel my own anxiety increasing.

There were some great quotes in this book. This in one of my favorites. "Unless is the worry word of the English language. It flies like a moth around the ear, you hardly hear it, and yet everything depends on its breathy presence."

Read for the steeplechase challenge Mental Health tag.

[Booknblues]

I read this long ago and was so impressed by it but remember it to be harrowing.