I love reading - not only because it's a pleasurable pastime and helps me relax - but because books can take you to places you haven't been to before. Books help you make sense of the world or (escape it!). They offer a glimpse into a life or world different from your own in a way that is often compelling and easy to digest. It's a testament to the writer's skill that a novel can put you in the shoes of a character we meet between the pages - to see what they see; to think and feel what they think and feel - even if we don't always understand. "The Way I See It" (Elephant Tree Publishing, 2018) by debut Australian author Lucy Marrett squarely puts us in the shoes of its lead character, Holly Adler. Holly is a young journalist struggling to come to terms with her ongoing and debilitating anxiety. But the sudden death of a school friend brings her to a crossroads and forces her to confront her illness. We are privy to Holly's thought processes, the multitude of everyday decisions which can be affected by her illness and the events that can trigger an attack. It's a book that helps us understand what it's like to live with anxiety and what it might look like from the outside. Loosely based on Lucy's own experiences with anxiety, "The Way I See it" is a realistic, poignant portrayal of a young woman's struggle with mental illness. An inspiring and hopeful tale about a commonly diagnosed mental health condition in Australia. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.