**An affecting glimpse into the ways millennials cope with mental health
struggles
**
Clara's at a breaking point. She's got writer's block, her friends ask a
lot without giving much, her psychologist is useless, and her demanding
publishing job leaves little time for self care. She seeks solace in the
community around her, yet, while her friends provide support and
comfort, she is often left feeling empty, unable to express an
underlying depression that leaves her immobilized and stifles any
attempts at completing her poetry collection. In This Is How I
Disappear, Mirion Malle paints an empathetic portrait of a young woman
wrestling with psychological stress and the trauma following a sexual
assault.
Malle displays frankness and a remarkable emotional intelligence as she
explores depression, isolation, and self-harm in her expertly drawn
novel. Her heroine battles an onslaught of painful emotions and while
Clara can provide consolation to those around her, she finds it
difficult to bestow the same understanding on herself. Only when she
allows her community to guide her toward self-love does she find relief.
Filled with 21st century idioms and social media communication, This Is
How I Disappear opens a window onto the lives of young people as they
face a barrage of mental health hurdles. Scenes of sisterhood, fun
nights out singing karaoke, and impromptu FaceTime therapy sessions show
how this generation is coping, connecting, and healing together.
