Falling Suki Fleet

Another beautifully written book by Suki. Like the previous one, it's not a light read AT ALL. It deals with difficult issues of mental health yet it does it in a very tender sweet way. Being inside Josh's head (our only POV) wasn't easy with how cloudy his life and mind is, but I think it's a crucial experience to us as readers to understand his world. What he is going through and WHY it's so difficult for him. He is the sweetest guy, loving and warm even if he looked and at times behaves like the opposite. He is just not sure how to express what he is feeling or know how to manage all these confusing emotions. Angus is a good example. Everything about him speaks and screams to Josh, but he is afraid of acting upon it and being swallowed and overwhelmed by his feelings for him.

After dealing with depression for years, and being hospitalized for it as well, Josh finds his place in a small apartment forming a brave and sweet friendship with his neighbor Eleanor. Eleanor brought him out of his shell, taught him how to manage life and became a close friend throughout years of solitude. He has his job in a shoe store, but his life is mostly about being alone in his apartment.  When Eleanor's 18 years old son Angus comes to stay with her things start to change. Eleanor might have helped Josh with his fears yet she has her own demons. She is dealing with Agoraphobia and Anxiety disorder which are crippling her and it's only getting worse. They are also affecting her son Angus who isn't sure how to deal with her symptoms.



Through quite a lot of anguish and pain yet also tenderness and love Angus and Josh find a way to first become first friend and later form a home for themselves. Together with Josh's friend from work Soren, Oskar who somehow became a friend to both of them after Josh accidentally ran him over with his car and Angus' mother - Eleanor - they finds they are not really alone in this world. It's not easy. There are too many uncertain times for Josh and even Angus where they try to find a way to express what they feel without hurting one another or making the other run to the hills and yet with little by little Josh realizes pushing Angus away is not an option anymore and from there the road to happiness is much easier. 

This is the story of Josh and Angus but it's also a journey to recovery, acceptance, love and friendship - a bit like my previous read by Suki. It's not that the stories are similar, they are not! Yet what they share is the kind of human and forgiving approach to life and a simplicity as to what we all truly need in our lives. It's not about wealth, a good job or a very defined HEA. It's about who we surround ourselves with, how we work on the things that holds us back from loving and living with an open heart. it's tender, it's raw, it's difficult and it's all together breath taking. It's life.

I'm loving Suki's books. I'll be delving into the rest of them VERY soon.

Rating: ★★★★★

E-Book Edition

227 pages

Read on: 30 September 2018