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Two Jungles
Addie lives in the jungle with her best friend, Adia. The jungle has been changing lately, becoming darker, and one morning Addie wakes to find Adia is gone. She sets out on a search for her lost friend, and must overcome obstacles that threaten not only her chance to find Adia, but her very existence. However, there is no guarantee that finding Adia will fix the darkness in the jungle and return the friends to their previous life.
Meanwhile, A struggles to cope with panic attacks that become more frequent and a feeling of hopelessness that invades her every waking hour. When she comes out of the doctor's office with a diagnosis of depression and the realisation that she doesn't know how to return to who she used to be, she must face how those around her will react to her illness and how her life might look going forward. A's world will never return to what it was before.
Meanwhile, A struggles to cope with panic attacks that become more frequent and a feeling of hopelessness that invades her every waking hour. When she comes out of the doctor's office with a diagnosis of depression and the realisation that she doesn't know how to return to who she used to be, she must face how those around her will react to her illness and how her life might look going forward. A's world will never return to what it was before.
92 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 17, 2024
Tasha Mapes' Two Jungles presents a challenging reading experience due to its structure and narrative choices. The novel tells two distinct stories that alternate throughout, but the frequent jumping back and forth between them disrupts immersion and makes it difficult to follow either plotline fully.
The story of Addie and Adia, two young girls living alone in a jungle, is particularly perplexing. The book provides no clear explanation as to why the girls are isolated or what happened to the adults who presumably raised them. This lack of context creates a sense of disorientation, preventing readers from fully connecting with their story. Further complicating matters, the girls are inconsistently described as both sisters and friends, blurring their relationship in a way that feels more confusing than intriguing. Additionally, the repetitive use of their names, when pronouns like "she" would suffice, becomes grating over time and detracts from the story's flow. While the narrative seems to serve as a metaphor for Anxiety, this execution didn’t resonate with me personally and made the experience stressful rather than enlightening.
In contrast, the second storyline, which focuses on Depression, is much stronger and far more relatable. Its descriptions of the emotional weight and struggles of depression feel authentic and well-realized, offering readers a poignant exploration of mental health.
Ultimately, Two Jungles suffers from trying to weave two very different stories into one. While both narratives tackle important themes, they might have been more impactful as separate works, allowing each story to breathe and connect with readers on its own terms.
For those interested in literary explorations of mental health, Two Jungles has moments of genuine insight, but its fragmented structure and inconsistent storytelling may prove frustrating for some readers.
The story of Addie and Adia, two young girls living alone in a jungle, is particularly perplexing. The book provides no clear explanation as to why the girls are isolated or what happened to the adults who presumably raised them. This lack of context creates a sense of disorientation, preventing readers from fully connecting with their story. Further complicating matters, the girls are inconsistently described as both sisters and friends, blurring their relationship in a way that feels more confusing than intriguing. Additionally, the repetitive use of their names, when pronouns like "she" would suffice, becomes grating over time and detracts from the story's flow. While the narrative seems to serve as a metaphor for Anxiety, this execution didn’t resonate with me personally and made the experience stressful rather than enlightening.
In contrast, the second storyline, which focuses on Depression, is much stronger and far more relatable. Its descriptions of the emotional weight and struggles of depression feel authentic and well-realized, offering readers a poignant exploration of mental health.
Ultimately, Two Jungles suffers from trying to weave two very different stories into one. While both narratives tackle important themes, they might have been more impactful as separate works, allowing each story to breathe and connect with readers on its own terms.
For those interested in literary explorations of mental health, Two Jungles has moments of genuine insight, but its fragmented structure and inconsistent storytelling may prove frustrating for some readers.
July 18, 2024
Excellent first book addressing some of the challenges people face day to day when struggling with mental health. I look forward to seeing more from Tasha
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews