Darkly intriguing and engrossing…
Set in Ontario, Kita’s debut features a young woman trying to sort out her life while dealing with a sudden onset of psychosis. Twenty-year-old Kokoro thinks she has taken her beloved grandmother’s fight with cancer and eventual death fairly well. Starting university immediately after, Kokoro throws herself into her studies and a part-time job. But the pressure of student life proves to be too much, bringing Kokoro’s unprocessed grief to surface. She soon finds herself thrown into a sprawling turbulence of psychosis, struggling with hallucinations, depression, and suicidal thoughts. The narrative is immersing, with a measured pacing and the prose crisp, but the true tension comes from watching Kokoro try to fight her illness. The novel has a dark tone, with the mood staying despairing throughout, however the satisfying ending is both uplifting and heartwarming. Kita handles this sensitive subject with understanding and perception, and readers will find much to admire and ponder throughout. Kita’s portrait of the stigma associated with mental illness makes this a winner.
The Dark Descent
By Kimki Kita
Blurb
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Pub date March 11, 2021
ISBN 9781034597186
Price $15.00 (CAN) Paperback, $8.00 e-book
