The Blackbird Singularity

by Matt Wilven

Shortlisted for an Amazon Rising Star Award

Longlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker prize 2016

Selected for WHSmith Fresh Talent 2017

Wilven does a masterful job of keeping his readers as off-balance as his protagonist... an intense and satisfyingly off-beat examination of a man lost in a landscape of unresolved grief and his heroic fight to find his way back home.' -- Melissa DeCarlo, author of The Art of Crash Landing

Vince stops taking his lithium when he finds out about his partner's pregnancy. As withdrawal kicks in, he can barely hold his life together.

Somewhere between making friends with a blackbird in the back garden and hearing his dead son's footsteps in the attic, he finds himself lost and alone, journeying through a world of chaos and darkness, completely unaware of the miracle that lies ahead.

Featuring a foreword from Dr Eleanor Longdon; Dr Longden's TED talk, Learning From the Voices in my Head, was featured on the front page of The Huffington Post and has been named by The Guardian newspaper as one of 'the 20 online talks that could change your life.'; It has been viewed over 3m times and translated into 36 languages.

Genres: Fiction, Writing

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2016

About the author

Matt Wilven is a novelist whose work explores the emotional and psychological limits of identity and reality. He is the author of The Blackbird Singularity (2016) and Farzaneh and the Moon (2019).

Reviews

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vince was diagnosed with stress-induced bi-polar disorder after the death of his son, Charlie. The doctors prescribed lithium, but Vince stopped taking his medication after learning of his wife's unexpected pregnancy. Withdrawal kicks in, and Vince's hold on reality spirals into chaos. Now he's seeing Charlie in the hallway, sensing him in the attic, hearing his laughter in the dark . . .

The Blackbird Singularity opens with a few novice writing techniques, but it's worth pushing through the initial pages to explore this book in its entirety. Once the book finds its stride, the story unfolds to reveal an engaging account of one man's struggle to grieve the death of his son and cling to a crumbling sense of what is real and what is not.

Vince makes for a compelling protagonist. He's a well-intentioned husband and father, though his actions sometimes suggest otherwise. As a writer, he's both reverent and dedicated to his craft. And he's self aware of the degree to which his mental wanderings favor morbidity; he's always cautious to avoid being indelicate toward others where his ghoulish thoughts are concerned.

Walking on, I recall my obsession with Charlie's decomposition. For months, rolling around in bed, I would find myself imagining the state of his dead body in its coffin. Again and again I wished he'd been cremated but was too scared to share this with Lyd. Not only because I had been too manic and too far gone to attend the funeral (or even conceive of it) but because I didn't want to bring a new unimagined kind of torment on her. There was a chance she hadn't thought of his body rotting and decaying in its coffin.

As Vince's mind unravels, subsequent to his withdrawal from lithium, his world becomes stranger and more eerie. He ultimately reaches a lurid state described through visualizations with abstract qualities.

My contemplation is broken by the absence of solitude. There's something behind me. Eyes are on me. I know it's Charlie but I don't want to look. My heart is racing. My hands tingle and begin to sweat. I can feel his smile in the air around me. Almost hear his giggle.

[The blackbird] jumps and turns one hundred and eighty degrees and all the foliage behind him blurs and turns into a gold-and-green blur. He jumps and turns one hundred and eighty degrees again and I see faces everywhere, evil green faces made out of leaves, flat, monstrous, screaming in agony.

Every chapter opens with a paragraph detailing something of a scientific nature. These interludes are always fascinating and well-crafted for optimum intrigue.

Birds see a whole field of visual information that is beyond human comprehension. People can try to guess what it is by studying the behaviors and attributes of birds (some experts say polarized light, others magnetic fields) but in the end they have to accept the limitations of the imagination and admit that birds can see an entire dimension that people are unable to envision.

With its heightened gleam and consistent position, Polaris almost certainly instigated the earliest discoveries of astronomy but it no doubt also helped to elongate the belief that humanity was at the center of an orchestrated cosmological plan. After all, it is much more probably that the night sky's point of true north would be black, not the brightest star in the sky.

The Blackbird Singularity is an unusual book that offers a captivating portrayal of mental illness.

--
Special thanks to Matt Wilven and Goodreads for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Joanne Harris]

The moving, surreal journey of a writer in deep depression following the death of his son, through the turmoil of his partner’s new pregnancy and the mystical relationship he forms with a wild blackbird in his back garden. It’s a well-written, atmospheric little novel, with a cast of rather too many characters – though by far the best and most convincing sections are the ones that deal with the narrator’s struggle with grief and his battle with depression and drugs. By contrast, the other characters seemed a little flat, especially the women, none of whom appear to have much personality, in spite of the frequent, detailed descriptions of their appearance and clothing. On the whole, though, an excellent portrayal of mental illness, with a message of hope and rebirth to mitigate the darkness.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is exquisite! Wilvern cleverly blends the dimensions of science, mathematics, psychology, philosophy, anthropology and mythology with the inner world of a man who was literally turned mad with grief. We walk vicariously into the protagonist's decline into insanity - Vince, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after the death of his son. Two years later, Vince abruptly stops taking his lithium on hearing the news that his wife is pregnant again, and we follow him, even collude with him, as Wilvern has us buying into his manic reasoning one minute before turning a sharp corner into the frightening reality of Vince's delusions.

But what is reality? Wilvern intelligently, subtly, asks this question by describing various theories of reality and existence, in particular by describing the concept of 'singularity' in mathematics, mechanics and physics to parallel Vince's apparent decline. The blackbird singularity is a proposal for a new dimension, which we witness in Vince's thought life as he attributes words to the blackbird Blackie who visits his garden, projecting his own beliefs, fears, hopes, despair, delusions, and meaning onto its chirps and song, which he sees and hears everywhere he goes in increasing measure and intensity; and to his other hallucinations, including his dead son. The blackbird singularity is a proposal of a new or alternative concept of reality.

Don't be put off by all the mention of science above, if you're not into science this should not detract from your reading experience, because it is subtle, it so intelligently done, and I mention it in this review because I absolutely loved it. The truth is, this novel has so many dimensions to it that are clever, humourous, sad, and very intense, full of parallels and contradictions that are mixed and juxtaposed flawlessly. It is full of alarming suspense as you follow Vince's thoughts towards a seemingly inevitable train wreck that you both fear and enjoy, unable to tear your eyes from. There are some great moments with the other characters in the book where you are left wondering who is more mad or unstable. One of my particular favourites was a small throwaway line about his wife's pregnancy cravings for worms and twigs. But I don't believe there is anything 'throwaway' about Matt Wilven's writing at all.

Ultimately this is a tale about about life and death, and about grief; how chemistry failed Vince's need to grieve properly for the death of his son; how science let him down by heavily medicating him so he was only a shadow of himself; and how he finds himself again in his journey into madness. This is the best novel I have read in a long time.

I received this novel to read from Netgalley.

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Vince lost his three-year-old son to cancer, he "went mad" and suffered a complete breakdown. Held on a psych ward in the aftermath, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed Lithium. A few years later Lyd, Vince's successful physicist wife, falls pregnant again. Vince decides to discontinue his medication in order to rediscover the version of himself prior to Lithium, prior to being a grief-stricken father, failing author, and distant husband, who is financially dependent on his wife. As Vince goes through the abrupt and secret withdrawal, he starts to loose himself. He becomes increasingly pre-occupied with blackbirds in his back garden, reality becomes fuzzy, but his creative mind seems to be on a roll.
In this well-written debut novel about mental health, which is told from the first-person perspective of Vince, Matt Wilven portrays all characters very convincingly. They come across as believable and the dialogue feels very realistic. As other people in Vince's life go through various stages of instability and change, you start to wonder where the boundaries between sane and mad really are. People around Vince make irrational decisions or are completely stuck in unhealthy relationships and depressing lives, but it is Vince who is judged to be the failing one.
The author starts each chapter with observations from philosophy or the sciences, which (not being particularly scientifically-minded) were sometimes a bit abstract for me and I had to read them twice to work out the connection to Vince's life. There was one point towards the end of the book the birth where the author lost me for a couple of pages.
But overall, this was a really original, honest but sensitive exploration of grief, loss, trauma, love and mental health. I finished this a couple of days ago and was initially going to give it 3.5 stars because of the difficulties I mentioned above, but I still keep thinking about the story and its characters, so for that reason, it has to be the full 4 stars.
Thanks to Legend Press who provided me with a copy via NetGalley.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blackbird Singularity is probably not my obvious choice of book but after reading the description there was just something about it that really appealed to me.

Vince and his wife are still trying to come to terms with the loss of their son Charlie. It is so hard to comprehend what a parent must go through in losing a child. I don’t think anyone’s grief is the same and everyone handles it differently. Vince obviously has had a total break down and has been put on Lithium so he can cope with life. The only problem is, is that the medication leaves him feeling fuzzy and not like he is really living so he makes the decision to come off them without telling anyone.

The relationship between Vince and his wife is very fragile with each of them trying their best to cope in their own way. Due to Vince’s break down and his very slow work as an author, it is very much left to his wife to be the bread winner as well as try and keep everything all together.

The story has quite a few characters who are all very interesting, especially Vince’s friend Jamal. Jamal reminds me of some sort of guru that has the answers to the universe. He is a sense of clarity in Vince’s otherwise mixed up world.

A lot of what Vince is experiencing I think is down to the effects of the withdrawal of the Lithium. The parts where he sees his son were very moving and I also loved the parts with the blackbird. It very much felt like there is this mist that is quite dark and dense to start with which starts to clear the further into the story we got.

The Blackbird Singularity is a beautifully written story dealing with loss, relationships and fighting your way back up to the surface of life again. It is moving and meaningful and one that will stay with me for a long time to come.

My thanks to Lucy at Legend Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Megalion · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those times where I can't relate enough to the characters or situation to engage with the book.

I have no kids so I've never even contemplated the pain of losing one. However, usually I can find a way to empathize.

This time, I simply can't.

Vince is bipolar. As am I. But I can't relate to his experience because in my opinion, he's making stupid decisions. Yet at the same time, I'm all too aware that the psychological ramifications of being bipolar is caused by physiology.

In other words, our brain chemistry is jacked and messing with our minds. Not unlike a brain tumor only ours is incurable. Meds only go so far and it requires committment on the part of the individual to stay on them. Catch 22: stability often comes at a cost of joie de vivre and/or clear thinking. Is it worth being numb?

Vince's story lets the reader in on what it's like inside the mind of one bipolar person. Emphasis on one. There's a wide spectrum of how people are affected both by the condition and how we respond to meds.

Back to the loss of a child, this is the traumatic instance that blew Vince out of the water and triggered the latent bipolar in him.

His wife is also struggling and while couples often struggle to stay together in their mutual grief, Vince's condition makes it even harder.

This isn't a bad story. It's a your mileage may vary situation and I suspect it'll be a 4 star read for many folks.

I'm giving it a 3 even though I've decided to let go of the story at just past 50%.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a powerful and compelling story of a man devastated by grief tipped over into madness following the death of his small son. He is prescribed lithium but decides to come off it as he finds his real personality is clouded by the drug and he wants to be in full command of his intellect. But his sudden withdrawal from the drug has unexpected consequences and we follow Vince’s struggle as he tries to cope with his mental state. As his world begins to spiral out of control he finds connection with a blackbird in his garden, and whether as metaphor or simply a sign of Vince’s instability, it’s a haunting image. As the novel progresses it remain unclear whether Vince will ever reconcile with what’s happened and the tension is expertly maintained until the bitter end. I did have a real problem with an incident at the end of the novel, which I can’t talk about here without revealing too much, as at a key moment I was left in doubt about exactly what was happening, but that apart I found myself completely drawn into the narrative. The characterisation is very good indeed, with even minor characters coming alive with a few deft strokes, and the dialogue is authentic and convincing. It’s a well-paced and well-plotted piece of writing, a moving tale of loss, bereavement, madness and ultimately redemption through love, which explores with empathy and delicacy issues of mental health. Highly recommended.

[Kate Wolstenholme · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blackbird Singularity is beautifully written, I feel that I've discovered a new favourite author in Matt Wilven.

[Susan Cairney · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was nothing about this book I didn't love. The story had me from the first sentence. Matt Wilven - that was genius writing. Thank you x

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gasping for breath as he drowns in his own sanity, Vince, or rather the state of his mind and the demons that dwell there, are the subjects of The Blackbird Singularity. He’s an ordinary guy with a creative intelligence, which is being suffocated by the Lithium coursing through his veins. He relies on the drug to see him through to the next day, well this, and the immense strength of his wife, Lydia.

His behaviour is erratic and he’s missing out on what’s left of his life since the tragic death of his young son pushed him into a dark, dark corner. With his writing career non-existent, incapable of holding down a paying day job, he’s financially supported by Lydia much to the disapproval of her family. In their eyes this waster locust who feeds of her good will has sunk lower than they could have ever thought.

As he discovers he and Lydia are to be parents again, there’s a pivotal point in Vince’s thinking. He stops taking the Lithium. He doesn’t tell anyone, as this is Vince staking a claim on himself once again. The withdrawal results in manic episodes that are blooming with clarity followed by hallucinations tapping into his sub conscious. Scary as this is, life becomes so vivid he is able to write again. But this liberation entwines with confusion when Blackbirds begin to visit his garden. Vince strikes an affinity with one fearless chappie who defies convention to cautiously investigate this strange man standing on the patio in his pj’s clutching a bag of raisins.

Their worlds become linked by something I could only describe as deeply spiritual, and Vince begins to look for meaningful signs from his feathered friend. The relationship could be a cathartic experience or may just give him a reason to get up every morning. By concentrating his efforts on getting well without clouding his judgement with his medication, he misses the most vital sign of all – Lydia is drifting further away.

It’s painful to see how a tragic circumstance eroded what they once shared. Charlie, their son, is not openly discussed after Vince’s breakdown but it’s clear that they both can't accept that he's not coming back.

The story is told in three ‘trimesters’ that cleverly correlate with the pregnancy and Vince’s own growth during it. There are some thought-provoking introductions to every new chapter on philosophical topics such as time, space and theories that tie in nicely with the current state of his writerly mind. I could only imagine the profound conversations he once must have had with Lydia as this is her area of expertise. I also looked forward to the rare visits Vince made to his hoarder friend's house. Jamal possesses a quirky and relaxed nature which is complimented by humble wisdom; while he smokes a joint he can rattle off his knowledge about all things deep and meaningful when the need arises.

The Blackbird Singularity is a brave and powerful book. I found the weight of Vince’s distress strangely hypnotic and couldn’t stop myself being drawn into the isolated world he found himself living in. It lays bare the spectrum of grief while offering a chink of light at the light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

(I received a copy of this title from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review, with my thanks.)

[Wael EL Gabas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique, Masterpiece, one of the kind, it is a very unique experience to read this book, too many emotions, too many thoughts you got when you read, very grasping, very original and super unique, i think it is the birth of a new star in literature Matt Wilven.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blackbird Singularity is one of those novels that packs magic realism, issues about mental health, success, writing, grief, pregnancy, new hope and life in all of its forms into a story line that is full of action, pathos, believable characterisation and everyday situations with more than a hint of the supernatural.
Vince is a once successful writer, struggling with his second book, lithium withdrawl and missing his dead son. His partner Lydia, although also grieving their loss has to work to provide the home they both share, but they are both limping along. Vince’s life is blighted by tablets, and his delicate mental state, and although his family and friends are patient, caring, and understanding at the start of the novel, their patience starts to wear thin, as Vince spends more time communing with a Blackbird in his back garden, than caring about the imminent birth of his second child, and all of the issues that brings.
As Vince’s Lithium withdrawl develops, he gains more insight into life, and is able to finish his novel, even though his publisher has ended their contract, instead supporting the burgeoning creative talent of an over-hyped accidental zeitgeist novelist.
The ending, blends light horror, and magic realism, and a sense of new hope for the beleaguered couple, and their families. At only 34 Matt Wilven has produced a debut novel that many more established writers would be justly proud of. I await his future development with much interest.

[Writerful Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blackbird Singularity explores the fine line between a writer’s creativity and a mind in the grip of a full-blown manic episode. The story is told from the point of view of Vince, a struggling writer, who decides to stop taking his medication when he discovers his wife Lyd has become pregnant. He longs to redeem himself from a deep sense of failure as a man and as a writer. He is convinced that withdrawing from the effects of lithium will release him from grief and help him become a better father following the death of his three year old son.

Read the full review at Writerful Books.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was enjoying this book up until the 'last trimester' (final part of the book). Then I just lost the plot. I see other reviewers interpreted the ending of the book very differently to myself - it seemed to me that the last section was written in a full state of mania, that he completely reverted back into madness. To me, the entire ending of the book was thus written by an unreliable narrator, so we can't really know, beyond the madness, how much of the rest of it was true. I can't really see how people interpreted it as a happy ending. In the end it felt unresolved to me, which was really disappointing, as I enjoyed the first three quarters of the book.

[Juliet Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was immediately drawn into this novel by the relationship that Vince has with a blackbird that visits his garden and how he tempts the bird to finally brave coming into the house. It reminded me of my mother and her favourite blackbird that she used to feed.

However, things for Vince are a lot more complicated than just feeding the local birds like a caring birdwatcher. Vince has just stopped taking his lithium, he's haunted by the ghost of their first child and Lyd, his physicist partner is pregnant again.

This is a brilliant book, totally engrossing, a roller coaster ride of emotions that never veers out of the author's control (though it is clear that Vince is losing control of his life....). I particularly love the descriptions of Vince's relationship with the blackbirds:

"I slide the patio door shut and pull a chair away from the kitchen table, wrap my hands around a cup of coffee and watch the white lawn. Within seconds a blackbird arrives and then another. Soon there are nearly a dozen of them fluttering about, raising tiny clouds of hoar frost and trying to win a few moments on top of one of the sultana clumps. I'm not sure how long I sit watching them, but for the first time in a long time, I experience thecreative glimmer of a new idea.

After a couple of minutes the idea is outshining my interest in the birds so I venture upstairs to my writing desk."

Mental health, grief, paranoia, dysfunctional families and barely functional friendships plus nature make for a wonderful mix in Wilven's debut novel. Can't wait to see what he writes next!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vince after the death of his son, is trying to cope with his grief and is spiralling further into depression. Finding out that his partner is pregnant and feeling like he needs to clear his mind in order to complete the book he is writing he decides to stop taking his lithium. He thinks that he is doing great, but in reality he is becoming more and more unstable. Vince thinks he hears his dead son in the attic and becomes convinced his child is up there, he makes friends with a blackbird in the garden and then sees the bird every where he goes, almost as if the bird is some sort of guardian angel.

I think this book is very cleverly written, it is like entering into a very strange and crazy world, some parts of it are almost bizarre and yet Vince handles them as if they are everyday occurrences, it's surreal. Books on mental health and grief can be difficult to read, but I enjoyed reading this and I will never look at a blackbird in the same way again! In fact I looked out of the window this morning when I had finished this book and there was a big black bird sitting on the wall, it was a bit creepy!!

[Jo Marjoribanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every so often I like to read a book about mental health to increase my understanding of conditions I don't have personal experience with. This one was a very well written account of one man's life with bipolar disorder and the effects of his decision to stop taking his medication after discovering that his wife is pregnant with their second child - an emotional revelation given that their first son died. This decision allows him to forge ahead with his creative writing and to feel things more vividly than before, but it also causes problems with his marriage and other areas of his life. There are times when you're not sure if what you're reading is real or part of Vince's delusions. Sometimes he isn't aware of the distinction himself, although he accepts that he can't always trust his perceptions. This kind of narrative gives a great insight into what it's like to live with bipolar. It reminded me of The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

A first-person narrative about mental breakdown (I seem to read a lot of these). I liked the characterisation, as Vince was by turns judgemental, paranoid and vulnerable. Unlike some stories about mentally ill people he wasn't a martyr, monster or paragon of virtue. I felt that his rejection of medication was believable, and that the withdrawal symptoms were realistic and well-integrated. Having said that, the idea that medication for mental illness crushes creativity and drowns out a person's 'true self' is stereotypical and wasn't really handled with nuance, which I felt undermined the novel's realism. I enjoyed Wilvern's style of writing.

[Ewan Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fantastic novel. I loved it, and just finished reading it a second time which is something I almost never do. It has beautiful and realistic characters with relationships that are rendered with great insight and depth. In this way Wilven writes brilliant social realism, but what really elevated the novel for me was the dreamlike blackbird theme and its symbolism, and how this was woven through the narrative right to the thrilling climax. Genuinely imaginative and unique.

A really heartwarming and vivid tale which I cant quite get out of my head. Massive recommends. I'm excited to see what this author produces next.

[Suzanne Sotzing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book. Told through the first person narrative of the main character, we see a slow decline into madness following his refusal to take Lithium when he finds out his wife is pregnant with their second child. The Lithium is prescribed after the loss of their first child, to help cope with the loss and subsequent break from reality. There are a few other characters, developed in detail, that add madness of their own into the mix. This book was a pleasurable and engrossing read with a satisfying ending.

[Snoakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a slightly difficult book to review as so much of it is terribly sad that it sounds wrong to say I really enjoyed it. Vince and Lyd's son Charlie died and Vince went off the rails. Eventually he was diagnosed with stress-induced bipolar disorder and prescribed Lithium. Now Lyd is pregnant again, Vince stops taking his medication and makes friends with a blackbird. It's a bumpy ride from there on...

A very interesting and welcome addition to the increasing number of very good novels that tackle mental health.

[Ian Yarington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally speaking I have a tough time with books like this where people start to go insane see things like their dead children but I feel like Wilven does a decent job at keeping it grounded despite the nature of it. I actually enjoy Vince and his journey is something that I can identify with even though he is basically going crazy without his lithium. I feel like his struggles are real, the depression, the grief from losing a child, all of Vince's problems are things I can at least sympathies with.

[Rasmus Skovdal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might do a proper review of this, at some point. And possibly reconsider the rating - it's quite good, really, but flawed.

Though, I might keep it at 3 stars for criminal abuse of the word 'whilst'.

[Melissa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks so much for the giveaway, it sounds interesting and I'm excited to read it. Review will be updated after I've read it.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievably incredible.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of weird, but I liked it. Was easy to read

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Incredibly dark, beautifully written. If you have the mental energy I would recommend this for sure.

[Chloe Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never before have I read very few pages and been drawn straight into the beauty of the writing. Matt Wilven brings beautifully written metaphors that leave you breathless. Each word fits in so perfectly to these metaphors and truly brings to life the meaning behind it that you can’t help but wonder how something has never been described this way before. Wilven brings an alternate perspective on Charlie’s cancer that flows and highlights the internal struggle with such an illness that many would find hard to imagine.

The Blackbird Singularity is a work of contemporary fiction following the decline and rise of Vince Watergate. Following the untimely death of their first born son, Vince can no longer cope; he breaks out into peals of laughter, he squanders away a lifetime of savings and, after some time in a psychiatric ward, is prescribed a lifetime of lithium to help him to cope with his loss. This novel is about Vince and his attempts to rid himself of the fuzz of the lithium, to become who he used to be and to find himself in amongst the mess that has become his marriage, his job, and his whole life. We are presented with moments of grief, lies, family division, insecurity, issues of trust, and a sense of clarity.

I found this novel to be very eye-opening, providing a realistic and truthful view into the lives of those suffering from mental health. Though I cannot in any way relate to those that may have experienced events such as those by Vince and Lyd, Wilven doesn’t hold back in showing the extremities to which Vince’s mind will go to blur the boundaries between imagination and reality thus showcasing the extent to which Vince believes in the truth of what he sees before him. I felt a lot of sympathy towards Vince during these moments fully understanding him and his mind during his times of struggle and uncertainty; his mind presenting visuals of comfort and also disturbance and fear depending on events taking place or to come.

Wilven’s character’s and the relationships between them holds true to the realism of this novel and shows the varying opinions of people towards mental health and those suffering and trying to cope with events happening around them. Many of Vince’s interactions with other characters result in feelings of confusion and puzzlement as well as skepticism towards how he is handling his life and coping with matters. We begin to see issues of family division and insecurity as Lyd’s family question his hold on reality and ostracize him as things begin to get worse. However, there are some characters that accept Vince for who he is such as Jamal, the joint-smoking auto-mechanic who has a more relaxed outlook on life and believes that Vince can overcome whatever is troubling him. It is interesting to see all these character’s from different walks of life and the impact they have on Vince as well as how they perceive him.

The character of Vince goes through a lengthy process in order to develop into the character he is at the end of the novel. Facing bouts of insanity and delusions, being confronted with the truth about his writing career, and journeying through a marriage where both people are on different sides of the fence makes for a lot when it comes to Vince. Though he does fall a couple of times (literally and figuratively), he pulls himself back up and never stops trying to become the best person that he can be. He is constantly trying to impress Lyd and reassure her that he is fine, that he can handle not being on the lithium and all of this makes for a relatable setting in regards to marriage. We see scenes of arguments and disagreements, moments of love and comfort. The dialogue between the two flows and runs like a real conversation between a married couple and brings these characters to life.

This novel is truly beautiful and brings a lot of insight to the issues surrounding mental health and illness, family and marriage. It is a realistic approach that allows the reader to identify with the characters and understand their experiences as well as the lengthy process that is undertaken in order for Vince to become a better person, or as close to the person as he was before. It is a novel that I would recommend for anyone interested in mental health and brings coverage to a topic that needs to be focused on in order for people to truly understand those that are suffering.

[Sharon]

Matt Wilven’s The Blackbird Singularity is an intense and deep exploration of mental illness and grief. After the death of his son Charlie, Vince spirals into mania with only the help of lithium to control and bring him back to reality. When finding out his wife Lyd, is pregnant, he stops taking his medication and what follows is an honest depiction of someone experiencing withdrawal and how it affects everyone around them.

The book addresses loss; not just in the form of bereavement but also in the form of losing yourself. The most exquisite aspect of this novel is the subtle integration of science and mathematics, in particular the various theories of reality and the concept of singularity which corresponds to Vince’s decline. As his descent into mania begins to unravel, he befriends a blackbird who communicates messages to him about his life and events that will occur in the future. Wilven realistically portrays the diverse opinions of people towards mental health and those suffering and trying to cope with the events surrounding them. Many of Vince’s interactions with other characters result in feelings of confusion and cynicism towards his chosen method of coping with his life.

Vince goes through an extensive process in order to develop into the person he becomes at the end of the novel; from facing delusions to being confronted with the truth about his career and being in a marriage where both people don’t see eye to eye on certain things. The most commendable trait that Vince has is that always he never stops trying to become the best person that he can be. He is constantly trying to impress Lyd and reassures her that he doesn’t need the lithium anymore. Wilven portrays them as a real married couple where they argue but have those moments of love and comfort. The dialogue between the two runs like a genuine conversation between a married couple and which brings these characters to life.

The Blackbird Singularity is a poignant and powerful novel. Though it is heart-rending, you can’t help but feel uplifted towards the end. Wilven writes with such depth and beauty that you can’t help but be drawn into Vince’s journey.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

No parent copes well with the death, unexpected or otherwise, of a child. Some are only better than others at hiding their hurt. Vince reacts in an extreme way, loses his mind and in the process almost ruins the family financially – and for this is hospitalised, medicated and only allowed home when he promises to keep taking the medicine which almost makes him catatonic. A promise he breaks.

Lyd doesn't lose it. She suffers as much as he does but added to that resents the fact that she had to deal with all the arrangements after the death on her own, Vince being mentally and physically in a different world. She also resents the fact that she has become the bread winner and not only keeps them both alive, housed and fed bit also has to pay off the debt he incurred in his mad spending spree.

But Vince doesn't think he's insane. Yes, he talks to a blackbird. Yes, he sees his son in different locations. But this is only his way of coping. Lyd hits the bottle from time to time, he has delusions, hallucinations, fantasies.

With such conflicts it's inevitable that they separate – temporarily or forever is uncertain. Vince resents it, he sees it as desertion but Lyd sees it the only way to keep her sanity. Whist bemoaning the loneliness that comes with the empty house it allows Vince to write again, and this time he really thinks he has something to say and something others will want to read.

On top of their own problems their best friends are going through a bit of a crisis and selfishly pass on their problems to people who already have enough of their own. When a crisis arises in a person's life the problems of others are forgotten.

And Lyd is pregnant. It is during the three trimesters of her pregnancy that all the action takes place.

It works, or certainly the majority of the story did for me. You can feel the pain of the bereaved parents, you can understand that in such circumstances the way each deals with their loss can seem to be over the top. But we should always remember 'there but for the grace of' before becoming hypercritical.

Where I did get lost – felt alienated from the story and with episodes that I thought just came from nowhere – was the surreal telling of the some of circumstances surrounding the pre-natal period and then the birth of the new child. Perhaps Wilven thought the reader needed some 'light relief' from the despair of what had gone before. To me it just felt tacked on and didn't develop the story in any way.

If the arrival of a new baby was what was needed to kick them both out of their unhappiness and desolation following the death of the first born I didn't see why we needed such an injection of 'humour'.