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Euthymia Syndrome
After she is admitted to Hopsten asylum, she forgets her name and creates a unique hallucinatory identity. While conquering many mishappenings, she fathoms her medical inadequacy and strengthens it. Through Hera, Cleopatra, and Bona Dea; she lives a magical life and endures agony. She is smart, intelligent, a philosopher, and most importantly a fighter.
244 pages, Hardcover
Published March 6, 2025
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August 4, 2025
-Spectacular shards of a Glowing Fever Dream-
Review of Euthymia Syndrome
Quote Alert
"𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. 𝐀𝐧𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥. 𝐈 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐮𝐩 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬, 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞. 𝐀 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 '𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐭' 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲. 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞. 𝐀 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐈 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐞."
What is real? What is unreal? How would you chalk up a difference between the two? A dream that plays in front of your eyelids while asleep is a figment of your imagination but the brains that dreams is as real as the bones that cage it. Euthymia syndrome by Asmita Sen, who started writing when she was twelve, is like a hallucinatory fever dream of a protagonist whose personality is split into a trifecta of Greek mythological characters: Hera, Cleopatra and Bona Dea. It is through these imaginary characters, that the protagonist plays out her life.
The protagonist has forgotten her name (or doesn't want to remember?) and it is only towards the end that she remembers it. But what's more important is the childhood trauma that she projects upon the characters. As the author very candidly accepts in the preface, that she blamed her family after her epilepsy diagnosis and her NDE (near death experience), the same trauma is mirrored in her character. She writes: "Joy was never an organic attitude whilst I interacted with family, but it was placed very carefully, almost in a methodical way. My sibling and I almost did not notice the anguish while growing up. I sometimes wonder how brilliantly stoic he is. In my eyes, he is a beautiful, sensitive soul, but in the eyes of others, he is unemotional; just like how men should be, in the eyes of a rigid society. I can't help but wonder, when does he cry?"
It gives you goosebumps when the MC says that she drank rum neat when she was fourteen. It could be real or hallucinatory and it is this guessing that keeps the reader going. The merging of reality and fiction is pathbreaking.
The MC has sinister thoughts for the people entering and leaving her life but even her curses are blanketed in a delicate cocoon. When she says 'I hope he does someday' , she is actually confessing her love for Anthony. Or course people are supposed to die 'some day'.
The prosen is interwoven with the poetry and it is this mingling that seems like a turbulent ocean meeting a calm horizon in a vast embrace. I loved the poetry. Have a look:
"Within my
disjointed
carefully taped
glassy cold heart
when he said those
three words
with pure affection
and meaning
without a generous motive
of taking advantage
of my bountiful
motifs
and
while I rejoiced
a happy beginning
I suddenly felt
a sudden jolt
of electricity
split across
my entire body
and while the
experience
was overwhelmingly
frightening."
This was a turbulent but a satisfying read
Review of Euthymia Syndrome
Quote Alert
"𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. 𝐀𝐧𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥. 𝐈 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐮𝐩 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬, 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞. 𝐀 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 '𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐭' 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲. 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞. 𝐀 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐈 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐞."
What is real? What is unreal? How would you chalk up a difference between the two? A dream that plays in front of your eyelids while asleep is a figment of your imagination but the brains that dreams is as real as the bones that cage it. Euthymia syndrome by Asmita Sen, who started writing when she was twelve, is like a hallucinatory fever dream of a protagonist whose personality is split into a trifecta of Greek mythological characters: Hera, Cleopatra and Bona Dea. It is through these imaginary characters, that the protagonist plays out her life.
The protagonist has forgotten her name (or doesn't want to remember?) and it is only towards the end that she remembers it. But what's more important is the childhood trauma that she projects upon the characters. As the author very candidly accepts in the preface, that she blamed her family after her epilepsy diagnosis and her NDE (near death experience), the same trauma is mirrored in her character. She writes: "Joy was never an organic attitude whilst I interacted with family, but it was placed very carefully, almost in a methodical way. My sibling and I almost did not notice the anguish while growing up. I sometimes wonder how brilliantly stoic he is. In my eyes, he is a beautiful, sensitive soul, but in the eyes of others, he is unemotional; just like how men should be, in the eyes of a rigid society. I can't help but wonder, when does he cry?"
It gives you goosebumps when the MC says that she drank rum neat when she was fourteen. It could be real or hallucinatory and it is this guessing that keeps the reader going. The merging of reality and fiction is pathbreaking.
The MC has sinister thoughts for the people entering and leaving her life but even her curses are blanketed in a delicate cocoon. When she says 'I hope he does someday' , she is actually confessing her love for Anthony. Or course people are supposed to die 'some day'.
The prosen is interwoven with the poetry and it is this mingling that seems like a turbulent ocean meeting a calm horizon in a vast embrace. I loved the poetry. Have a look:
"Within my
disjointed
carefully taped
glassy cold heart
when he said those
three words
with pure affection
and meaning
without a generous motive
of taking advantage
of my bountiful
motifs
and
while I rejoiced
a happy beginning
I suddenly felt
a sudden jolt
of electricity
split across
my entire body
and while the
experience
was overwhelmingly
frightening."
This was a turbulent but a satisfying read
April 25, 2025
Asmita Sen’s Euthymia Syndrome is an intricately woven psychological narrative that explores identity, resilience, and the fragility of the human mind through the lens of a protagonist who loses herself only to reinvent her reality in compelling, hallucinatory ways. This novel blends elements of magical realism with introspective psychological fiction, offering readers a journey through mental illness not as a descent, but as a transformation.
The novel engages with the concept of "euthymia" — a term used in psychiatry to denote a stable mood — and juxtaposes it against the protagonist’s destabilized sense of self after being admitted to Hopsten Asylum. As she forgets her real name and creates a new identity, the narrative invites questions of what truly constitutes sanity and whether reinvention is a form of healing or escape.
What stands out is the author’s creative use of classical figures — Hera, Cleopatra, and Bona Dea — who serve not just as hallucinations, but as psychological anchors and mirrors of the protagonist’s fractured identity. Each figure represents a different facet of feminine power, endurance, and intellect. Hera brings regal authority and endurance; Cleopatra, political cunning and passion; Bona Dea, healing and mystique. Through them, the protagonist lives parallel lives that are magical yet deeply intertwined with her personal trauma and growth.
Sen’s writing is lucid, poetic in places, and philosophically rich without being inaccessible. The protagonist is not a passive sufferer of illness but an active philosopher and fighter who confronts her medical condition with startling insight. There’s an undercurrent of feminist strength throughout the book, where the reclamation of agency — even within a psychiatric institution — becomes a revolutionary act.
Euthymia Syndrome draws upon stream-of-consciousness techniques and intertextual references that place it within a lineage of modernist and postmodernist narrative traditions. Yet it remains emotionally grounded, inviting empathy rather than clinical detachment.
In conclusion, Euthymia Syndrome is a courages and inventive novel that destabilizes our conventional notions of mental health while elevating personal suffering into philosophical inquiry. Asmita Sen offers readers not just a story of survival, but a meditation on identity, womanhood and the beauty of reconstructing meaning in the most unlikely places. Highly recommended for readers who appreciate psychological depth, symbolic richness, and a protagonist whose dares to reinvent herself even in the face of adversity.
Must read♥️♥️
The novel engages with the concept of "euthymia" — a term used in psychiatry to denote a stable mood — and juxtaposes it against the protagonist’s destabilized sense of self after being admitted to Hopsten Asylum. As she forgets her real name and creates a new identity, the narrative invites questions of what truly constitutes sanity and whether reinvention is a form of healing or escape.
What stands out is the author’s creative use of classical figures — Hera, Cleopatra, and Bona Dea — who serve not just as hallucinations, but as psychological anchors and mirrors of the protagonist’s fractured identity. Each figure represents a different facet of feminine power, endurance, and intellect. Hera brings regal authority and endurance; Cleopatra, political cunning and passion; Bona Dea, healing and mystique. Through them, the protagonist lives parallel lives that are magical yet deeply intertwined with her personal trauma and growth.
Sen’s writing is lucid, poetic in places, and philosophically rich without being inaccessible. The protagonist is not a passive sufferer of illness but an active philosopher and fighter who confronts her medical condition with startling insight. There’s an undercurrent of feminist strength throughout the book, where the reclamation of agency — even within a psychiatric institution — becomes a revolutionary act.
Euthymia Syndrome draws upon stream-of-consciousness techniques and intertextual references that place it within a lineage of modernist and postmodernist narrative traditions. Yet it remains emotionally grounded, inviting empathy rather than clinical detachment.
In conclusion, Euthymia Syndrome is a courages and inventive novel that destabilizes our conventional notions of mental health while elevating personal suffering into philosophical inquiry. Asmita Sen offers readers not just a story of survival, but a meditation on identity, womanhood and the beauty of reconstructing meaning in the most unlikely places. Highly recommended for readers who appreciate psychological depth, symbolic richness, and a protagonist whose dares to reinvent herself even in the face of adversity.
Must read♥️♥️
April 17, 2025
Euthymia Syndrome is a philosophical-fictional story inspired by author Asmita Sen’s real struggle with epilepsy and a near-death experience. Writing, for her, became a way to cope and reflect especially after years of emotional suppression, family misunderstandings, and self-image issues in a traditional Indian household. I could relate to some of these feelings.
The title comes from Seneca’s idea of true mental calm, not just confidence. The author connects this with the medical meaning of “euthymia” in bipolar disorder, blending philosophy and psychology in a unique way.
Though I wasn’t familiar with Greek literature before to this extent, this book made me curious to learn more to understand the alter egos.
The protagonist, a deeply creative woman, forgets or rejects her real name. Instead, she creates alter egos like Hera Cleopatra, Bona Dea, and Medusa who represent parts of her inner self and become her chosen family to navigate through her life I think. Here the story leaps in a place where the lines blur often between reality and illusion.
Through this, she explores pain, healing, rebellion, and identity. Reading the book felt like diving into a deep, mysterious ocean. As I went deeper, it became harder to tell where I was going. The author has absolutely mindblowing writing skill I have to say. Her's is poetic, metaphor rich language to express emotions that are hard to explain or understand at times but still strikingly beautiful.
Having seen a family member suffer from hallucinations, I understand how hard it is for both the person and those around them to explain and comprehend such experiences and why family support, empathy, and mental health awareness are so important, I feel author has put forward her heart and soul in this book showcasing her immense courage as well because each of our experiences of such unexplainable complexities in life is so different, it at times is mostly impossible to describe to anyone or understand someone else's too clearly but none the less people must share their truth. Its the way towards healing. Though its not a book meant for everyone, not at all for beginners but these kind of read ask for time, patience and understanding from a particular section of readers who are interested to understand and contemplate deeper. And it is an intense, honest, and emotionally brave writing.
The title comes from Seneca’s idea of true mental calm, not just confidence. The author connects this with the medical meaning of “euthymia” in bipolar disorder, blending philosophy and psychology in a unique way.
Though I wasn’t familiar with Greek literature before to this extent, this book made me curious to learn more to understand the alter egos.
The protagonist, a deeply creative woman, forgets or rejects her real name. Instead, she creates alter egos like Hera Cleopatra, Bona Dea, and Medusa who represent parts of her inner self and become her chosen family to navigate through her life I think. Here the story leaps in a place where the lines blur often between reality and illusion.
Through this, she explores pain, healing, rebellion, and identity. Reading the book felt like diving into a deep, mysterious ocean. As I went deeper, it became harder to tell where I was going. The author has absolutely mindblowing writing skill I have to say. Her's is poetic, metaphor rich language to express emotions that are hard to explain or understand at times but still strikingly beautiful.
Having seen a family member suffer from hallucinations, I understand how hard it is for both the person and those around them to explain and comprehend such experiences and why family support, empathy, and mental health awareness are so important, I feel author has put forward her heart and soul in this book showcasing her immense courage as well because each of our experiences of such unexplainable complexities in life is so different, it at times is mostly impossible to describe to anyone or understand someone else's too clearly but none the less people must share their truth. Its the way towards healing. Though its not a book meant for everyone, not at all for beginners but these kind of read ask for time, patience and understanding from a particular section of readers who are interested to understand and contemplate deeper. And it is an intense, honest, and emotionally brave writing.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews