Mental Health In Books
Books that finally address mental health and how we respond.
Avid readers enjoy diving into books and putting themselves right next to the main character. They enjoy the opportunity of getting to live a thousand lives before they die, to be the hero in a different world. Often times this ignores some of the personal mental struggles a character undergoes in order to grow as a character, as they struggle with revenge or justice.
All of the books I read as a child were written by individuals that were much much older than myself. As writers in the 80’s, 90’s, and early 00’s had to go through a publisher in order to get their ideas printed. Oftentimes that meant the writer had spent years working on getting a piece out to the public and by the time it did not necessarily resonate with the younger generations anymore.
As a millennial our generation has been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to see self-publishing and send ideas directly into the hands of consumers with Kindle, Nook, and many other apps. This has made it so that stories are being written, produced, and distributed to individuals right away, these stories make connections with their own generations immediately.
It allows an individual to recognize that they are not the only person going through a difficult time or situation. The audience can read how the hero chooses to work out the issues they are facing. While we can’t solve problems today by actually slaying dragons, we can use the strength of that character and their coping mechanisms to learn to heal and deal.
A Court of Thorns and Roses Series
There is one series of books that I feel stands out lately in regards to focusing on a character's mental health and struggle to overcome trauma, it puts in the depths of despair with the characters.
Sarah J. Maas has brought the conversation of mental health to the forefront with her characters in A Court of Thorns and Roses. TikTok has been an amazing opportunity for many people to voice their opinions on how these characters interact and deal with Trauma. While we don’t use the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, we do know that the characters are dealing with this.
WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: WARNING
The male (Tamlin) that our hero (Feyre) thought she was in love with ignores all the disparaging health warning signs she displays. Withdrawal and weight loss to an extreme, while he continues to lock her away to “protect” her from the world, despite having defeated the world to save him. Feyre has night terrors that cause her to have insomnia, she loses interest in hobbies that once made her feel alive and joyful.
Feyre is rescued by her true love after she spirals into a panic attack during her wedding. We essentially turn the hero’s first love into the villain after this. Her rescuer gives her space and helps to pull her out of herself to become the strong healthy hero we all know her to be by the end of the first three books.
He does this without pushing her and helping to give her a purpose. He provides space and allows Feyre to progress at her own rate and just makes sure that he is “there” for her if she needs something.
Dealing with Trauma and Family
Fast forward to the latest book that focuses on Feyre’s older sister, A Court of Silver and Flames. Everyone hates on Nesta, but as the oldest daughter in my family, I feel that I can resonate with her. She has had more time to experience loss multiple times over in her lifetime.
She hates her father for allowing her family to fall into financial despair, but when he comes through to help in the war she sees him in a whole new light. His death destroys her and she spirals into a deep pit of depression.
She throws herself into dangerous vices, sleeping with multiple guys a night, drinking, and drugs are implied, all in order to escape her own head. She makes sure to float her expenses onto her “amazing” sister Feyre’s tab.
While it should not be expected that a person should enable someone forever, however in this case there was no real warning or conversations had with Nesta. No one asked her any real questions or how they could help. It was an abrupt cut-off and ultimatum.
What I find to be so disheartening is how Feyre does not give her sister the same courtesy that she was given while dealing with her own PTSD. Instead she “imprisons” her into a house far away from the vices and gives Nesta ultimatum after ultimatum.
A Sister’s Love
This book discusses the relationship between sisters and the differences of those we have with friends, and it is spot on. We absolutely have a different expectation of our family than we do our friends. It is not surprising that Feyre and her friends treat Nesta differently, because they will always defend their friend. Leaving Nesta feeling left out in the cold.
I will admit that I am even harsher on my own sisters for their decisions that they have made or do make, more so than I would be toward a decision my friend makes.
This is probably due to the fact that we are hearing about our friends’ childhood and life second hand, but with our siblings we lived it with them and can’t understand how they can make those same decisions.
It’s because we didn’t interpret the information the same way, our viewpoints our different based on all of the experiences we have had.
So stop hating on Nesta, and be more upset with Feyre and Rhysand for being hypocrites in how they chose to “help” Nesta with her PTSD and Depression.
Nesta does eventually get better and finds her own group of support, but I think the important thing to take from this is that everyone needs to find help in their own way. There cannot be an expectation that there is a one-size-fits-all.
I highly recommend diving into this series, it is rich with plot, but keep an open mind when regarding all of the characters. They have all lived long and harsh lives, and they all deserve a redemption arc.
