Matt McAvoy Book Review

Sharp and clever, the more you read this witty social commentary, the deeper and more numerous its insightful layers develop; by the end, you find yourself nodding in approval at the way it went.

As a man seeks psychiatric help to unravel the profoundly interesting psychotic episodes he is experiencing, he begins to become increasingly aware of the myriad mental health issues affecting each and every person around him – some mildly reactive; some severely symptomatic.  Gradually, his own episodes and more and more analysis of his unhappy childhood intertwine, and the seemingly random and tenuously connected strands converge into a clearer narrative, meticulous and metaphorical; it is accurate to say that this is a book which grows and matures into itself (although, I have to be honest and say that I’m not entirely sure what the last couple of chapters add in terms of the storyline; I may have missed the relevance of this).

Wells is a smart author, funny and cynical in all the right places; he also knows how to construct an analysis with just the right ingredients and intrigue.  More importantly, though, the subject of mental health, and all the issues which go with it, are explored with intelligence, maturity and a lot of empathy.  It was perhaps a touch heavy on the dialogue, but the book is all about its layers, and character interaction was probably the best way to indulge this, whilst also giving our protagonist numerous opportunities to explore his own normalcy relative to the world and the people around him.  It may also seem like a lot of digression but, like dream analysis (to which this book repeatedly refers), every element has metaphorical relevance.

Good quality by Wells; a well-written and entertaining book.  If you know your subject of psychology, you’ll consider that it hits the mark for the layman; if you don’t, you’ll surely find it engaging and insightful.  At the end of the day, as Vanish by Dawn shows, whether it’s serious mental illness or just an irregular reaction to the stressors of everyday life, does any of it matter too much anyway; the world keeps turning.  There’s hope and comfort in the acceptance of this book, somewhere within its metaphorical jigsaw.  A good read – a clever one, too – and I enjoyed it.