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Flynn Laukonen #2
A Voice in the Distance
In his final year at the Royal College of Music, star pianist Flynn Laukonen has the world at his feet. He has moved in with his girlfriend Jennah and is already getting concert bookings for what promises to be a glittering career. Yet he knows he is skating on thin ice - only two small pills a day keep him from plunging back into the whirlpool of manic depression that once threatened to destroy him. Unexpectedly his friends seem to be getting annoyed with him for no apparent reason, he needs less and less sleep, he is filled with unbridled energy. Events begin to spiral out of control and Flynn suddenly finds himself in hospital, heavily sedated, carnage left behind him. The medication isn't working any more, the dose needs to be increased, and depression strikes again, this time with horrific consequences. His freedom is snatched away and the medicine's side-effects threaten to jeopardize his chances in one of the biggest piano competitions of his life. It seems like he has to make a choice between the medication and his career. But in all this he has forgotten the one person he would give his life for, and Flynn suddenly finds himself facing the biggest sacrifice of all.
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2008
7 people are currently reading
1548 people want to read
About the author
Tabitha Suzuma
6 books3,555 followersAdd me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tabitha.suzuma
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TabithaSuzuma
Tabitha Suzuma was born in London, the eldest of five children. She attended a French school in the UK and grew up bilingual. However, she hated school and would sit at the back of the class and write stories, which she got away with because her teachers thought she was taking notes. Aged fourteen, Tabitha left school against her parents' wishes. She continued her education through distance learning and went on to study French Literature at King's College London.
After graduating, Tabitha trained as a primary school teacher and whilst teaching full-time, wrote her first novel.
A NOTE OF MADNESS tells the story of seventeen-year-old Flynn, a piano prodigy who is diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
In 2004 Tabitha Suzuma left classroom teaching to divide her time between writing and tutoring. This gave her time to write her next four novels:
FROM WHERE I STAND - a psychological thriller about Raven, a deeply disturbed teenager in foster care who self-harms and harbours a dreadful secret.
WITHOUT LOOKING BACK - about teenage dance sensation Louis, who suddenly finds himself uprooted from his home and whisked abroad on holiday by his mentally unstable father, until he sees his face on a missing person's poster.
A VOICE IN THE DISTANCE - a sequel to A NOTE OF MADNESS about Flynn and his continuing struggle to cope with his bipolar disorder without jeopardising his career or losing the girl he loves.
FORBIDDEN - Maya and Lochan are in love... But they are brother and sister.
Published in six different languages, this is her most controversial and heart-breaking novel to date.
HURT (out Sept 2013) - At seventeen, Matheo Walsh is Britain's most promising diving champion. He is wealthy, popular - and there's Lola, the girlfriend of his dreams. But then there was that weekend. A weekend he cannot bring himself to remember. All he knows is that what happened has changed him. Mathéo is faced with the most devastating choice of his life. Keep his secret, and put those closest to him in terrible danger. Or confess, and lose Lola for ever . . .
Tabitha Suzuma's books have been nominated for a number of awards including the Carnegie Medal, the Waterstone's Book Prize, the Jugendliteraturpreis and the Branford Boase Book Award. She has won the Young Minds Award, the Stockport Book Award, and the Premio Speciale Cariparma for European Literature.
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TabithaSuzuma
Tabitha Suzuma was born in London, the eldest of five children. She attended a French school in the UK and grew up bilingual. However, she hated school and would sit at the back of the class and write stories, which she got away with because her teachers thought she was taking notes. Aged fourteen, Tabitha left school against her parents' wishes. She continued her education through distance learning and went on to study French Literature at King's College London.
After graduating, Tabitha trained as a primary school teacher and whilst teaching full-time, wrote her first novel.
A NOTE OF MADNESS tells the story of seventeen-year-old Flynn, a piano prodigy who is diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
In 2004 Tabitha Suzuma left classroom teaching to divide her time between writing and tutoring. This gave her time to write her next four novels:
FROM WHERE I STAND - a psychological thriller about Raven, a deeply disturbed teenager in foster care who self-harms and harbours a dreadful secret.
WITHOUT LOOKING BACK - about teenage dance sensation Louis, who suddenly finds himself uprooted from his home and whisked abroad on holiday by his mentally unstable father, until he sees his face on a missing person's poster.
A VOICE IN THE DISTANCE - a sequel to A NOTE OF MADNESS about Flynn and his continuing struggle to cope with his bipolar disorder without jeopardising his career or losing the girl he loves.
FORBIDDEN - Maya and Lochan are in love... But they are brother and sister.
Published in six different languages, this is her most controversial and heart-breaking novel to date.
HURT (out Sept 2013) - At seventeen, Matheo Walsh is Britain's most promising diving champion. He is wealthy, popular - and there's Lola, the girlfriend of his dreams. But then there was that weekend. A weekend he cannot bring himself to remember. All he knows is that what happened has changed him. Mathéo is faced with the most devastating choice of his life. Keep his secret, and put those closest to him in terrible danger. Or confess, and lose Lola for ever . . .
Tabitha Suzuma's books have been nominated for a number of awards including the Carnegie Medal, the Waterstone's Book Prize, the Jugendliteraturpreis and the Branford Boase Book Award. She has won the Young Minds Award, the Stockport Book Award, and the Premio Speciale Cariparma for European Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
May 22, 2011
Ok... Im crying too much... and I need to say something about this book because I can't just keep this inside of me.
This was a heartbreakingly beautiful story. This book, is not only about Flynn and his career, or how to deal with someone with bipolar disorder and depression. Tabitha Suzuma also portraits love through one of the saddest way it can be demonstrated and probably, in one of the hardest way we can say "I love you" to someone. Tabitha Suzuma gives readers the most beautiful message of love in one of the most heartbreaking books I have ever read (The first one and best of all times is, and always will be, Forbidden. But A Voice In The DIstance is close behind!). A Note Of Madness and its sequel A Voice In The Distance are Up There with all of my favorites books.
There is so much more than just Love and mental illness in this book. I think I enriched my soul and knowledge by reading them. Tabitha Suzuma, as always, writes consistent and rich stories.
And now, the most gratifying feeling is knowing that the time I spent reading these books, were a great and valuable investment. I highly recommend it!!
This was a heartbreakingly beautiful story. This book, is not only about Flynn and his career, or how to deal with someone with bipolar disorder and depression. Tabitha Suzuma also portraits love through one of the saddest way it can be demonstrated and probably, in one of the hardest way we can say "I love you" to someone. Tabitha Suzuma gives readers the most beautiful message of love in one of the most heartbreaking books I have ever read (The first one and best of all times is, and always will be, Forbidden. But A Voice In The DIstance is close behind!). A Note Of Madness and its sequel A Voice In The Distance are Up There with all of my favorites books.
There is so much more than just Love and mental illness in this book. I think I enriched my soul and knowledge by reading them. Tabitha Suzuma, as always, writes consistent and rich stories.
And now, the most gratifying feeling is knowing that the time I spent reading these books, were a great and valuable investment. I highly recommend it!!
November 18, 2015
This is how it all ends?! I definitely should not be writing my review right now because I've just finished and this one has left me a wreck! I was hoping desperately to see (when I got on the computer just now) that I was wrong, and that there will in fact be a third book, but the publication was in like 2008 so I'm pretty sure this was meant to be it and I'm
CRUSHED!
This one was far better than the first book for me. Maybe it's the relationship in this book that made me feel that way because while I can't relate to the bipolar disorder struggles that Flynn goes through on a level that pulls emotion from me, I can feel Jennah's side to the story a lot more. I was definitely so scared during and that was a really powerful part of this story.
Man! This was just too much. (I definitely should've waited before writing this review, but oh well)
So this story starts about two and a half years after the first book ends and Flynn's medication doses have stopped working, and unfortunately he has another round of struggling that he hasn't had in years. It all comes to an unforgivable act in the middle of this story that really messes up everyone in his life. But this story is very much about healing. For everyone.
I'm just so sad right now thinking about when Flynn comes back and goes to the orchestra practice, and the pure joy of that moment. And then again with the happiest and most emotional morning that he and Jennah share...the morning of the pillow fight and tears. Why did it all have to end up like this? It feels just wrong. How can it be right ? It's just not fair and that last page just brought me to tears. I really wish this wasn't the end of their story — his story — and that there was a third book. Maybe one day Tabitha Suzuma will put me out of my misery and write another.
My actual rating for this book is 4.5 stars. It definitely surpassed the first one for me, but I can't give it 5 stars because .
This one was far better than the first book for me. Maybe it's the relationship in this book that made me feel that way because while I can't relate to the bipolar disorder struggles that Flynn goes through on a level that pulls emotion from me, I can feel Jennah's side to the story a lot more. I was definitely so scared during and that was a really powerful part of this story.
Man! This was just too much. (I definitely should've waited before writing this review, but oh well)
So this story starts about two and a half years after the first book ends and Flynn's medication doses have stopped working, and unfortunately he has another round of struggling that he hasn't had in years. It all comes to an unforgivable act in the middle of this story that really messes up everyone in his life. But this story is very much about healing. For everyone.
I'm just so sad right now thinking about when Flynn comes back and goes to the orchestra practice, and the pure joy of that moment. And then again with the happiest and most emotional morning that he and Jennah share...the morning of the pillow fight and tears. Why did it all have to end up like this? It feels just wrong. How can it be right ? It's just not fair and that last page just brought me to tears. I really wish this wasn't the end of their story — his story — and that there was a third book. Maybe one day Tabitha Suzuma will put me out of my misery and write another.
My actual rating for this book is 4.5 stars. It definitely surpassed the first one for me, but I can't give it 5 stars because .
October 5, 2012
After reading Tabitha Suzuma’s ‘A Note of Madness’ I couldn’t resist reading the sequel ‘A Voice in the Distance’. I read a few pages a couple of days back and yesterday I finished the whole book. It is not often that I read a whole book in a day. Here is what I think.
‘A Voice in the Distance’ continues the story of ‘A Note of Madness’. Flynn, who is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, manages to stay normal by medication and periodic medical checkups. Jennah and Flynn now live together and are very much in love. Flynn wins music competitions and he is a star even before he has passed out of music college. Then one day the medication stops working as well as before. Flynn gets into a manic depressive state. He tries to commit suicide. He is taken to hospital. The doctor increases the dosage of lithium. Flynn discovers that it makes his hands shiver, which means that he can’t play the piano as well as before. Then one day Flynn decides not to take the medication. It improves his piano playing. But he starts getting hyperactive as before. And then Jennah discovers what Flynn has done and she feels betrayed and all hell breaks loose. Will Flynn be able to manage his condition without taking medication? Will he be able to salvage his relationship with Jennah? Will Jennah continue to be together with Flynn inspite of the everyday difficulties and complexities that come with it? The answers to all these questions form the rest of the story.
‘A Voice in the Distance’ is a bit different from ‘A Note of Madness’. The first thing that is different is that it is told through the voices of Flynn and Jennah. The chapters which contain Jennah’s narration are longer than those that contain Flynn’s. Jennah gets a bigger share of the story. The second thing that is different is that while ‘A Note of Madness’ was more about depression, ‘A Voice in the Distance’ is more about how the family and friends and loved ones of a person suffering from depression cope with the situation. We see how Jennah handles the situation and how she has to make difficult choices. We also see the situation from the point of view of Flynn’s parents, his brother and sister-in-law, his friends Harry and Kate and Jennah’s mother.
The third thing in which ‘A Voice in the Distance’ is different from its predecessor is with respect to the ending. The ending is sad, even heartbreaking. But it is also satisfying. I know that is a contradiction in terms, but it is true. It is classic Suzuma. In contrast, ‘A Note of Madness’ had a happy ending.
I don’t know whether there will be a third volume in the series. I would love to know what happened to Flynn and Jennah after the events described in ‘A Voice in the Distance’. The last passage of the book continues to haunt me, and as a reader I should leave it at that, but I can’t resist the temptation to find out what happened next.
I will leave you with some of my favourite passages from the book.
They say depression is an incredible sadness, an unbearable mental pain. No, it doesn’t have to be so dramatic. Sometimes it is nothing more than feeling tired. Tired of life. In therapy they tell you to remember that the bad spells pass. That things do get better, that medication does work, that things don’t stay the same. I can’t see how this is supposed to help. Ultimately everything ends with death. What they should say is : things might get better for a while, but eventually you will go back to being nothing, and all the pain and suffering will have been in vain. I wonder what Dr.Stefan would have to say to that. They say that depression makes you see everything in a negative light. I disagree. It makes you see things for what they are. It makes you take off the fucking rose-tinted glasses and look around and see the world as it really is – cruel, harsh and unfair. It makes you see people in their true colours – stupid, shallow and self-absorbed. All that ridiculous optimism, all that carpe diem and life’s-what-you-make-of-it. Words, just empty words in an attempt to give meaning to an existence that is both doomed and futile.
His face is like a waxwork, and I realize suddenly with startling clarity that the body and the person are two different things. Two different entities, somehow fused. The body is the one I am looking at now, attached to all these machines, the heart still struggling to pump, the lungs still struggling to breathe, valiantly fighting to stay alive. The person is another being entirely, the perpetrator of this crime, the one who ruthlessly swallowed forty tablets sometime in the middle of the night, then lay down beside his girlfriend to die. The person tried to kill itself, tried to kill its own body. I understand for the first time why attempted suicide used to be an imprisonable offence. It is, after all, attempted murder.
Have you read ‘A Voice in the Distance’? What do you think about it?
‘A Voice in the Distance’ continues the story of ‘A Note of Madness’. Flynn, who is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, manages to stay normal by medication and periodic medical checkups. Jennah and Flynn now live together and are very much in love. Flynn wins music competitions and he is a star even before he has passed out of music college. Then one day the medication stops working as well as before. Flynn gets into a manic depressive state. He tries to commit suicide. He is taken to hospital. The doctor increases the dosage of lithium. Flynn discovers that it makes his hands shiver, which means that he can’t play the piano as well as before. Then one day Flynn decides not to take the medication. It improves his piano playing. But he starts getting hyperactive as before. And then Jennah discovers what Flynn has done and she feels betrayed and all hell breaks loose. Will Flynn be able to manage his condition without taking medication? Will he be able to salvage his relationship with Jennah? Will Jennah continue to be together with Flynn inspite of the everyday difficulties and complexities that come with it? The answers to all these questions form the rest of the story.
‘A Voice in the Distance’ is a bit different from ‘A Note of Madness’. The first thing that is different is that it is told through the voices of Flynn and Jennah. The chapters which contain Jennah’s narration are longer than those that contain Flynn’s. Jennah gets a bigger share of the story. The second thing that is different is that while ‘A Note of Madness’ was more about depression, ‘A Voice in the Distance’ is more about how the family and friends and loved ones of a person suffering from depression cope with the situation. We see how Jennah handles the situation and how she has to make difficult choices. We also see the situation from the point of view of Flynn’s parents, his brother and sister-in-law, his friends Harry and Kate and Jennah’s mother.
The third thing in which ‘A Voice in the Distance’ is different from its predecessor is with respect to the ending. The ending is sad, even heartbreaking. But it is also satisfying. I know that is a contradiction in terms, but it is true. It is classic Suzuma. In contrast, ‘A Note of Madness’ had a happy ending.
I don’t know whether there will be a third volume in the series. I would love to know what happened to Flynn and Jennah after the events described in ‘A Voice in the Distance’. The last passage of the book continues to haunt me, and as a reader I should leave it at that, but I can’t resist the temptation to find out what happened next.
I will leave you with some of my favourite passages from the book.
They say depression is an incredible sadness, an unbearable mental pain. No, it doesn’t have to be so dramatic. Sometimes it is nothing more than feeling tired. Tired of life. In therapy they tell you to remember that the bad spells pass. That things do get better, that medication does work, that things don’t stay the same. I can’t see how this is supposed to help. Ultimately everything ends with death. What they should say is : things might get better for a while, but eventually you will go back to being nothing, and all the pain and suffering will have been in vain. I wonder what Dr.Stefan would have to say to that. They say that depression makes you see everything in a negative light. I disagree. It makes you see things for what they are. It makes you take off the fucking rose-tinted glasses and look around and see the world as it really is – cruel, harsh and unfair. It makes you see people in their true colours – stupid, shallow and self-absorbed. All that ridiculous optimism, all that carpe diem and life’s-what-you-make-of-it. Words, just empty words in an attempt to give meaning to an existence that is both doomed and futile.
His face is like a waxwork, and I realize suddenly with startling clarity that the body and the person are two different things. Two different entities, somehow fused. The body is the one I am looking at now, attached to all these machines, the heart still struggling to pump, the lungs still struggling to breathe, valiantly fighting to stay alive. The person is another being entirely, the perpetrator of this crime, the one who ruthlessly swallowed forty tablets sometime in the middle of the night, then lay down beside his girlfriend to die. The person tried to kill itself, tried to kill its own body. I understand for the first time why attempted suicide used to be an imprisonable offence. It is, after all, attempted murder.
Have you read ‘A Voice in the Distance’? What do you think about it?
August 23, 2011
A wonderful and beautiful piece of writing. This book touched my heart. It dealt with the issue of. not only someone suffering from Bipolar, but the ripple effects it may cause to those family and friends that see their loved ones suffer from this extreme form of depression. It is a beautifully woven book, and gives us an Insight of one young teen's struggle, and how it is effecting his life, yet split, we see get a great and powerful insight to his young girlfriend's point of view and what she see's. The story is simple and consistent and makes it an easy read, yet with all respect, handled sensitively, If you are like me this story will leave your heart aching as it's packed with emotion, the ending will take your breath away, yet somewhere leave us all a little wiser and our hearts opened a little wider. Defintely a book I will read again and again.
August 30, 2011
Ummm. WOW! Tabitha does it again! OMG. She always makes me cry!
"My Lovely Jennah, my beautiful Jennah. Your happiness means everything to me. I will listen for your voice in the distance. I will look at the moon. I will keep you in my pocket. I will carry your smile with me everywhere, like a warm and comforting glow."
Incredible book. I reccommend this to anyone looking for a beautiful heartfelt story. Lovely read...full of saddness, happiness, laughter, joy, hope and pain! A rollercoaster of emotions...but a rollercoaster worth the ride!
"My Lovely Jennah, my beautiful Jennah. Your happiness means everything to me. I will listen for your voice in the distance. I will look at the moon. I will keep you in my pocket. I will carry your smile with me everywhere, like a warm and comforting glow."
Incredible book. I reccommend this to anyone looking for a beautiful heartfelt story. Lovely read...full of saddness, happiness, laughter, joy, hope and pain! A rollercoaster of emotions...but a rollercoaster worth the ride!
November 1, 2018
..... I’m dead.
Well, nothing like good ole emotional suffering late at night. I’m fine....
.... Totally fine.
Well, nothing like good ole emotional suffering late at night. I’m fine....
.... Totally fine.
January 20, 2013
Isn't it awful when you pick up a sequel without knowing it? Isn't it one of the most frustrating things a reader can be put through?
Well, the misfortune fell upon me when I picked up A Voice in the Distance. After the first few pages, I felt like I wasn't being told enough, as if I had missed a whole bunch of pages at the start. And then my suspicion arose, and I checked the bookjacket a bit more carefully than I had in the library, and realised this was a sequel. Ugh.
But I had already started reading, and was enjoying the narrative enough to try and push through. And thank god I did, guys, because this book was a revelation. I loved so many different threads of the story, so many of the themes. Soon, I stopped thinking about the glaring fact that I had missed the first chunk of Flynn's experience with the illness, and got swept away in the bittersweet events in this poor guy's life.
I felt for him. I really, acutely felt what it must be like to live in such an uncertain state- frenzied and rushed one moment, and subdued and still the next. I felt his guilt, his frustration. I liked the fact that Ms Suzuma didn't sugarcoat how difficult a person such a mental condition made you (not through their own fault, of course).
There was also Flynn's girlfriend, Jennah, who tried her best to stick by her childhood sweetheart through all the highs and lows; Flynn's family, too, were really upsetting to read about. I can't imagine how it must feel. Jennah's mother is very convincingly portrayed as a middle-class mother who is keen for her daughter to have the best life possible; she sees what difficulties Flynn brings into her daughter's life, and tries to protect Jennah, even though Jennah may not want her to.
I understood why Jennah would be so conflicted over her relationship with Flynn, particularly after .
Sometimes, love can be sweet simple and straightforward, and fluffy and light. Those are the most fortunate people. But, as Flynn and Jennah learn, there are other kinds of love which are much harsher, much sharper, and which can leave you weeping on the ground. Ultimately, this story is less about Flynn's illness (though that is, of course, significant), and much more about loving someone, and the things which make you love someone even though it might not be good for either of you.
Methinks I should hunt down the first book soon.
Well, the misfortune fell upon me when I picked up A Voice in the Distance. After the first few pages, I felt like I wasn't being told enough, as if I had missed a whole bunch of pages at the start. And then my suspicion arose, and I checked the bookjacket a bit more carefully than I had in the library, and realised this was a sequel. Ugh.
But I had already started reading, and was enjoying the narrative enough to try and push through. And thank god I did, guys, because this book was a revelation. I loved so many different threads of the story, so many of the themes. Soon, I stopped thinking about the glaring fact that I had missed the first chunk of Flynn's experience with the illness, and got swept away in the bittersweet events in this poor guy's life.
I felt for him. I really, acutely felt what it must be like to live in such an uncertain state- frenzied and rushed one moment, and subdued and still the next. I felt his guilt, his frustration. I liked the fact that Ms Suzuma didn't sugarcoat how difficult a person such a mental condition made you (not through their own fault, of course).
There was also Flynn's girlfriend, Jennah, who tried her best to stick by her childhood sweetheart through all the highs and lows; Flynn's family, too, were really upsetting to read about. I can't imagine how it must feel. Jennah's mother is very convincingly portrayed as a middle-class mother who is keen for her daughter to have the best life possible; she sees what difficulties Flynn brings into her daughter's life, and tries to protect Jennah, even though Jennah may not want her to.
I understood why Jennah would be so conflicted over her relationship with Flynn, particularly after .
Sometimes, love can be sweet simple and straightforward, and fluffy and light. Those are the most fortunate people. But, as Flynn and Jennah learn, there are other kinds of love which are much harsher, much sharper, and which can leave you weeping on the ground. Ultimately, this story is less about Flynn's illness (though that is, of course, significant), and much more about loving someone, and the things which make you love someone even though it might not be good for either of you.
Methinks I should hunt down the first book soon.
February 11, 2015
EDIT : MAYO 2013
Extraño a Flynn .
---------
Loca , no me exilies de tu boca
por la culpa que te toca , mencioname una vez .
Tipico de mi que vivo en pena
se me da una mano buena y la tengo que arruinar.
Vos te esmeraste conmigo
a mi vieja le dijiste que me ibas a arreglar
Mi revolución era apariecia
me perdiste la paciencia cuando estaba por flaquear.
Tomo prestada esta canción hermosa de La Chicana para darle un sonido a este libro desgarrador de Tabitha Suzuma .( Nada mejor que ese estribillo y sobre todo la frase Mi revolución era apariencia . )
Primero que nada voy a admitir que tengo debilidad con los libros sobre trastornos mentales y hospitales psiquiátrios así que puede ser que estas historias , las cuales la mayoría de las veces me obligan al llanto y a largos minutos de reflexión , quizás a otros sin las experiencias personales que viví , no les produzca nada en absoluto . Queriendo decir con eso que si bien a mi este libro , como tantos otros , se me hizo breve pero emocionante , a otros les puede resultar aburrido .
Dicho esto , voy a proseguir .
A Voice in the distance es la continuación de A note of Madness , la historia de Flynn , un estudiante de música y excelente pianista que tiene que vivir con su trastorno maníaco-depresivo .
Cualquiera que haya sufrido(porque no hay otra palabra para esta clase de amor más que "sufrir") una relación con una persona trastornada o que lleve en si mismo algún trastorno va a sentirse muy identificado . Los diagnósticos pesan , nada es romántico cuando esa dificultad está en el medio .
Por una parte , tenemos la pelea constante de Jennah , la novia , paraintentar soportar la locura de Flynn , su esfuerzo por entenderlo y mentirse día tras día creyendo que todo se va a solucionar .
Después , Flynn .
Flynn , que incapaz de ver como lastima a la gente que lo quiere .
Flynn , feliz en sus estados maníacos y suicida en sus depresiones .
Una cosa o la otra , siempre completamente egoista y sordo a las penas de la gente alrededor .
Una historia de amor tristemente realista y con el único final posible .
Bravo para Tabitha Suzuma que con un estilo de escritura simple pero conciso explica muy bien el trastorno bipolar y el sufrmiento de quienes deben vivir al lado de esa locura .
Extraño a Flynn .
---------
Loca , no me exilies de tu boca
por la culpa que te toca , mencioname una vez .
Tipico de mi que vivo en pena
se me da una mano buena y la tengo que arruinar.
Vos te esmeraste conmigo
a mi vieja le dijiste que me ibas a arreglar
Mi revolución era apariecia
me perdiste la paciencia cuando estaba por flaquear.
Tomo prestada esta canción hermosa de La Chicana para darle un sonido a este libro desgarrador de Tabitha Suzuma .( Nada mejor que ese estribillo y sobre todo la frase Mi revolución era apariencia . )
Primero que nada voy a admitir que tengo debilidad con los libros sobre trastornos mentales y hospitales psiquiátrios así que puede ser que estas historias , las cuales la mayoría de las veces me obligan al llanto y a largos minutos de reflexión , quizás a otros sin las experiencias personales que viví , no les produzca nada en absoluto . Queriendo decir con eso que si bien a mi este libro , como tantos otros , se me hizo breve pero emocionante , a otros les puede resultar aburrido .
Dicho esto , voy a proseguir .
A Voice in the distance es la continuación de A note of Madness , la historia de Flynn , un estudiante de música y excelente pianista que tiene que vivir con su trastorno maníaco-depresivo .
Cualquiera que haya sufrido
Por una parte , tenemos la pelea constante de Jennah , la novia , para
Después , Flynn .
Flynn , que incapaz de ver como lastima a la gente que lo quiere .
Flynn , feliz en sus estados maníacos y suicida en sus depresiones .
Una cosa o la otra , siempre completamente egoista y sordo a las penas de la gente alrededor .
Una historia de amor tristemente realista y con el único final posible .
Bravo para Tabitha Suzuma que con un estilo de escritura simple pero conciso explica muy bien el trastorno bipolar y el sufrmiento de quienes deben vivir al lado de esa locura .
September 30, 2012
I made a big mistake here and I'm not too proud to admit it. I didn't actually realise this was a sequel when I picked up the book at the library (to be fair, nowhere on the cover does it say 'sequel to' or 'second book' etc - in fact, lots of sequels don't actually say they're sequels so how the eff are you meant to know without being wikipedia?)
And I did not realise this was a sequel until the 75% mark when I decided to go and check out what other people thought of the book, and went, hang on - book two? TWO?
This book read like a standalone novel. At no point did I feel like there was something missing, and if it is in fact a sequel, then well done to the author for having flawless storytelling skills. Nothing felt amiss, and there were no plot holes that could be explained by a first book.
But on to reviewing the actual book. This actually had me hooked in straight away. Although set in very modern times it had that timeless college student feel to it. Everything was superbly written and the emotions were so very raw, I felt stressed on many occasions reading it - AND THAT'S A GOOD THING. What makes a book worthwhile is when you get so rapt in the characters and the story, you can feel what they feel, try to work out their problems for them, and you just feel like you're there.
Perhaps I related it a little too closely to a plot line in my own book. Flynn, incredible musician, struggles with bipolar disorder and manic episodes, while his girlfriend Jennah quietly struggles the gauge the situation and keep him in check, while battling her own emotions trying to deal with his depression. The author writes his episodes flawlessly. He becomes aware of only himself in his manic phases, doesn't realise how he hurts Jennah, which struck a chord with me.
All in all this book was just perfectly written. In the end Jennah did the right thing, though it was a heartbreaking decision, and Flynn... Flynn saw what he had to do also. It just ended the way it should have.
I might pick up the first book but as a standalone novel it was perfect.
And I did not realise this was a sequel until the 75% mark when I decided to go and check out what other people thought of the book, and went, hang on - book two? TWO?
This book read like a standalone novel. At no point did I feel like there was something missing, and if it is in fact a sequel, then well done to the author for having flawless storytelling skills. Nothing felt amiss, and there were no plot holes that could be explained by a first book.
But on to reviewing the actual book. This actually had me hooked in straight away. Although set in very modern times it had that timeless college student feel to it. Everything was superbly written and the emotions were so very raw, I felt stressed on many occasions reading it - AND THAT'S A GOOD THING. What makes a book worthwhile is when you get so rapt in the characters and the story, you can feel what they feel, try to work out their problems for them, and you just feel like you're there.
Perhaps I related it a little too closely to a plot line in my own book. Flynn, incredible musician, struggles with bipolar disorder and manic episodes, while his girlfriend Jennah quietly struggles the gauge the situation and keep him in check, while battling her own emotions trying to deal with his depression. The author writes his episodes flawlessly. He becomes aware of only himself in his manic phases, doesn't realise how he hurts Jennah, which struck a chord with me.
All in all this book was just perfectly written. In the end Jennah did the right thing, though it was a heartbreaking decision, and Flynn... Flynn saw what he had to do also. It just ended the way it should have.
I might pick up the first book but as a standalone novel it was perfect.
February 28, 2019
2019
Two and a half years ago, Flynn Laukonen was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. With a combination of medication and therapy, he’s been able to manage it effectively. But his girlfriend Jennah has started to notice his behaviour changing again and she soon begins to wonder whether she has what it takes to help Flynn through his illness.
This was one of those rereading experiences where I noticed just how much foreshadowing I didn’t pick up on the first time I read it. When I read A Voice in the Distance the first time, Flynn’s bipolar becoming symptomatic again shocked me - I absolutely didn’t see it coming. But this time around, my knowledge about mental health being much more informed, I saw it coming from the very first chapter. Which just made it all the more devastating.
Watching Flynn fall back down into the depths of his depression was harrowing. He was doing everything right but his brain chemistry still worked against him. What’s even sadder is watching Jennah - and Harry and Rami and Sophie - trying so desperately to help but just being unable to. She loves Flynn so much and she works incredibly hard to understand his illness and help him take care of himself but she just can’t win. Seeing her grapple between what’s best for her and what’s best for Flynn is heartbreaking.
It’s also frustrating though because this book does end on sort of a cliffhanger. But since it never sold well enough, we probably won’t get to find out how Flynn’s story ends. I just hope he finds a way to look after himself so that he can live his best life.
An intense follow up to A Note of Madness but nonetheless beautiful in its emotion.
2009
It was absolutely fascinating seeing how Flynn's depression turned into bipolar through the course of this book. And it was heartbreaking to see how it all affected Jennah and his family. My favourite of the two. I will hold out hope forever that we get to see the rest of Flynn's story one day.
Two and a half years ago, Flynn Laukonen was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. With a combination of medication and therapy, he’s been able to manage it effectively. But his girlfriend Jennah has started to notice his behaviour changing again and she soon begins to wonder whether she has what it takes to help Flynn through his illness.
This was one of those rereading experiences where I noticed just how much foreshadowing I didn’t pick up on the first time I read it. When I read A Voice in the Distance the first time, Flynn’s bipolar becoming symptomatic again shocked me - I absolutely didn’t see it coming. But this time around, my knowledge about mental health being much more informed, I saw it coming from the very first chapter. Which just made it all the more devastating.
Watching Flynn fall back down into the depths of his depression was harrowing. He was doing everything right but his brain chemistry still worked against him. What’s even sadder is watching Jennah - and Harry and Rami and Sophie - trying so desperately to help but just being unable to. She loves Flynn so much and she works incredibly hard to understand his illness and help him take care of himself but she just can’t win. Seeing her grapple between what’s best for her and what’s best for Flynn is heartbreaking.
It’s also frustrating though because this book does end on sort of a cliffhanger. But since it never sold well enough, we probably won’t get to find out how Flynn’s story ends. I just hope he finds a way to look after himself so that he can live his best life.
An intense follow up to A Note of Madness but nonetheless beautiful in its emotion.
2009
It was absolutely fascinating seeing how Flynn's depression turned into bipolar through the course of this book. And it was heartbreaking to see how it all affected Jennah and his family. My favourite of the two. I will hold out hope forever that we get to see the rest of Flynn's story one day.
June 17, 2012
This was my third book by Tabitha Suzuma, and following on from A Note of Madness, when I couldn't help but fall a little bit in love with Flynn, I was excited to see where his story would go next. Of course, I knew this would be another emotional read, and I was quite surprised to find that the story was told in alternating POV between Flynn and Jennah.
But it really couldn't have been written any other way - and in fact the whole feel of the book was more Jennah's story than Flynn's, which was perfect. I liked Jennah in the first book, but this time around I could completely feel her pain, her confusion and her soul-wrenching sorrow as Flynn's illness spiralled out of control. Everything that happens to Flynn, Jennah and their families and friends feels completely real and imaginable. Their relationship is incredibly touching and their love is convincing, with realistic dialogue.
The ending is, in the typical style of Ms. Suzuma, not neat nor pretty. It's another bittersweet tear-jerker that had my heart breaking as I read with something akin to mania through the closing stages, but still maintained that little spark of hope that things really could get better for Flynn and Jennah.
Although this is a quick read, it's not a light one and once again Ms. Suzuma has written an emotional, compelling book that is impossible to put down.
As I said at the end of my review of A Note of Madness, if you are put off reading Forbidden due to the nature of the plot, this series perfectly showcases Ms. Suzuma's fantastic, emotional, compelling writing and I can recommend it to anyone.
Read more of my reviews at The Aussie Zombie
January 29, 2014
Back in the days, in Year 10, before I discovered Goodreads, I randomly picked up this book at the school library. Like many other readers, I only read this book and didn’t even know there was a first book until I finished it. That didn’t matter.
A Voice in the Distance has got to be in the top 3 most beautiful books I’ve ever read. Suzuma captures both Jennah and Flynn’s point of views so well. Her writing style distinctly alternates between them where Jennah is written with deep, well-thought out sentences, and Flynn’s is written in a stream of consciousness. Suzuma draws us in, and opens up our mind to a new light. However, the one thing that I’d pick on is that I couldn’t see the chemistry between Flynn and Jennah. Flynn seemed constantly on a rollercoaster ride and Jennah and Harry had to suffer the consequences. It would be nice it they went on cute date or did everyday tasks more often – it builds the chemistry and shows why they loved each other in the first place.
Some of my favourite quotes from the book are:
- “I close my eyes and try and shut him out. My fingers don’t want to stay in time. They want to race ahead in fury, plunging into the dense fog of black notes, pulling the music out by its roots, hurling it up out of the piano and into the air.”
- “I am sure that music was never meant to sound this harsh, this painful.”
- “I wanted to hurt Jennah; to make her see, just for a second, what it felt like to really hurt. How evil that sounds. To want to make someone you love suffer, the way you suffer.”
A Voice in the Distance has got to be in the top 3 most beautiful books I’ve ever read. Suzuma captures both Jennah and Flynn’s point of views so well. Her writing style distinctly alternates between them where Jennah is written with deep, well-thought out sentences, and Flynn’s is written in a stream of consciousness. Suzuma draws us in, and opens up our mind to a new light. However, the one thing that I’d pick on is that I couldn’t see the chemistry between Flynn and Jennah. Flynn seemed constantly on a rollercoaster ride and Jennah and Harry had to suffer the consequences. It would be nice it they went on cute date or did everyday tasks more often – it builds the chemistry and shows why they loved each other in the first place.
Some of my favourite quotes from the book are:
- “I close my eyes and try and shut him out. My fingers don’t want to stay in time. They want to race ahead in fury, plunging into the dense fog of black notes, pulling the music out by its roots, hurling it up out of the piano and into the air.”
- “I am sure that music was never meant to sound this harsh, this painful.”
- “I wanted to hurt Jennah; to make her see, just for a second, what it felt like to really hurt. How evil that sounds. To want to make someone you love suffer, the way you suffer.”
February 21, 2016
It's sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo beautiful.I love it as much as I loved the first one.I've read other reviews and you are all crying but,I am not.I mean the ending is sad but the book is so beautiful I can't help but smiling from this amazing book.
I loved how this book is from both Jennah and Flynn's POV.The first book was just from Flynn's POV,we know how he felt and what was it like for him but,to read it from Jennah's POV too was pretty amazing.I actually think she suffers the most because it's just so hard to live with someone like Flynn,with the maniac episodes,the fear that one day he might want to kill himself,AGAIN!! It's too much,so hard!!
That part when Flynn was at the hospital and Jennah was with Aurora,when she started singing"Baby,baby,bay" I thought she was singing Justin Bieber's "baby" and was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! ,now that was funny :D
THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ,YOU HAVE TO READ IT AS LONG AS YOU READ THE FIRST ONE AND DON'T TELL ME YOU DON'T WANT TO BECAUSE IT'S SO SAD.READ.IT
I loved how this book is from both Jennah and Flynn's POV.The first book was just from Flynn's POV,we know how he felt and what was it like for him but,to read it from Jennah's POV too was pretty amazing.I actually think she suffers the most because it's just so hard to live with someone like Flynn,with the maniac episodes,the fear that one day he might want to kill himself,AGAIN!! It's too much,so hard!!
That part when Flynn was at the hospital and Jennah was with Aurora,when she started singing"Baby,baby,bay" I thought she was singing Justin Bieber's "baby" and was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! ,now that was funny :D
THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ,YOU HAVE TO READ IT AS LONG AS YOU READ THE FIRST ONE AND DON'T TELL ME YOU DON'T WANT TO BECAUSE IT'S SO SAD.READ.IT
January 1, 2013
My heart is broken... I've nothing proper to say right now...
I'll just stay here, pretend that everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.
I'll just stay here, pretend that everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.
October 3, 2014
4.25 stars
I really liked this novel ... it was away better than the first one ... I liked the two points of view
I really liked the world that was created by Tabitha Suzuma ...
this NOVEL gave me many felling and made me think a lot ...it came second as favorite after Forbidden
this novel will stay with me and I hope for third one for this series
I really liked this novel ... it was away better than the first one ... I liked the two points of view
I really liked the world that was created by Tabitha Suzuma ...
this NOVEL gave me many felling and made me think a lot ...it came second as favorite after Forbidden
this novel will stay with me and I hope for third one for this series
May 26, 2013
I didn't feel connected to the story, maybe because it's too short, maybe because I didn't read book 1. I didn't really like Flynn, it's hard for me to want to read if I didn't like the male protagonist...
August 6, 2016
When I have time, I'll write a longer review, because this novel deserves one. A very sad but beautiful book about a talented musician battling depression. I'm really starting to like Tabitha Suzuma's work... this is definitely a book I'd recommend. Cheers!
Want to read
August 19, 2013YES! Thank you God! I'm almost finished with the first book and I'm ecstatic to see that this one is in Flynn's POV!!!!! Hell to the yes!!! And I love Jennah!! So excited to read this book!
April 23, 2012
It was quite a good book to immerge yourself in the world of the bipolar, but I hated the ending, too romantic to be true after all this..
Read
January 7, 2021Re-read
November 1, 2023
3.75 stars
July 2, 2013
“They say that depression is an incredible sadness, an unbearable mental pain. No, it doesn’t have to be so dramatic. Sometimes it is nothing more than feeling tired. Tired of life. In therapy they tell you to remember that the bad spells pass. That things do get better, that medication does work, that things don’t stay the same. I can’t see how this is supposed to help. Ultimately everything ends with death. What they should say is: things might get better for a while, but eventually you will go back to being nothing, and all the pain and suffering will have been in vain… They say depression makes you see everything in a negative light. I disagree. It makes you take off the fucking rose-tinted glasses and look around and see the world as it really is – cruel, harsh and unfair. It makes you see people in their true colors – stupid, shallow and self-absorbed. All that ridiculous optimism, all that carpe diem and life’s-what-you-make-of-it. Words, just empty words in an attempt to give meaning to an existence that is both doomed and futile. –Flynn”
Behold for before you is my longest book review! Sorry oops.
A Note of Madness (Flynn Laukonen #1) left me feeling bewildered and wondered and baffled. On the other hand, A Voice In The Distance (Flynn Laukonen #2) left me rather groaning in devastation and crying in melancholy and drowning and hovering for dear life in the vortexy whirlwind of my misery. I reckon I will be emotionally scarred for the rest of my entire miserable life, thanks to this book.
The story was astoundingly exceptional. I felt nothing but utter happiness when I dip into Jennah and Flynn’s sweet tale of love and dreams and music scores and unplanned sex and Rachmaninov Three and numerous pressure-rising competitions. I felt happy especially for Flynn, and at one certain point, I thought he was going to get better. But he was sucked yet again by his depression and it took control over him. He stopped taking meds, did nothing but to either sleep or lazily crouch down the sofa and do some channel-flicking, and can sometimes be found angrily and indolently playing the piano. He felt tired all the time. But he knew one thing at the back of his mind, the only thing that can guarantee him an easy way out of the miserable corners in the labyrinth that is his life, an apparent and obvious way out, yet he pushes that thought in his mind and denies it relentlessly. That’s why when I read the ending of the fifth chapter, which went like this:
“I want to die.”
I felt goosies gnawed my very insides. It was heart rending. The way he just felt so tired and felt so defeated so he finally raised the white flag that screamed “surrender” from the extreme despair and loneliness and heartache. He succumbed to the temptation of the “easy way out” and surreptitiously takes his own life. Though thankfully, he miserably failed at his attempt, but that does not end his sufferings. That just actually meant that he has to start embarking again through the challenges and horrors of his life.
I love love love love the characters. Let’s start with Harry, the numero uno and the mega-super-ultimate sidekick of Flynn and Jennah. Seemed too redundant, huh? Well, I guess that would still be a massive understatement on his character’s part. I mean, his character is the bestest best friend (redundant!) anyone could ever have. Through Flynn’s ups and downs, which is almost all of the time, Harry was there, managing to keep on track with his bestfriend. When Flynn was having a manic episode, Harry understands. When Flynn was feeling depressed and finds the presence of a mere human being irritating, Harry leaves. He understands, and just sheepishly put on a stark and empty smile. I am really glad that he never pitied Flynn.
Flynn Laukonen. An amateur pianist of the Royal College of Music in London, suffering from manic depression and bipolar disorder. A peer-and socially-pressured lad who is supposed to be inhaling packs and packs of beers and having sex with his girlfriend and having the time of his life and being busy being a hormonal and angsty teenager. When he’s on his meds, he’s depression is flying up to the crazy and deep extremes and the words DEATH DEATH DEATH are popping out on his every thought, flashing in neon lights. When he’s not on his meds, he’s having a manic episode in which he gets too excited and cheered up about everything that clueless to him, it subconsciously turns him into a complete madman. Pretty crazy, huh? The crazier thing is that, I feel so connected to him. I can somehow understand his woes and pains and despairs. That’s why it made me emotionally unstable everytime he’s having an episode. That’s why I almost feel like crying chapter by chapter. Because the depression and the misery and the pain and Flynn all felt real.
Jennah Dawson. JENNAH FRICKING DAWSON I LOVE YOU. To be honest, after finishing A Note of Madness, I sort of contemplated if I should read the next book or not, but then when I found out that it was in Jennah’s (and Flynn’s) POV, I continued reading this series. And oh man, am I so glad to have continued reading the series. Although the pain Flynn is going through is undeniably horrendous, I think Jennah had it a lot harder. There’s the pressure of finals, the recitals she promised to attend to, the trials of living in a flat with Flynn, the eventual manic and depressive episodes of Flynn, Flynn’s not taking of drugs, her mother’s thought of breaking up with Flynn, Flynn’s suicidal attempts and much much more. She had to be responsible and cope up with all of this. Damn, she almost threw all of her opportunities away of being an internationally acclaimed musician . She needed space; Flynn never gave it to her. She gave Flynn a holiday present which after a few nonchalant painful minutes, she found lying lifelessly in the ground; unopened and unappreciated. She took it and kept it and never brought it up with Flynn again. She kept on bugging Flynn to tell her what’s on with his strangled mind and she’ll do her best to understand and untangle it bit by bit; Flynn never did. (I’m not insinuating that Flynn’s a complete douche to Jennah, these are just the manic and depressive episodes that I was talking about.) She never gave up on him though she can feel that Flynn does sometimes. She never surrendered and felt defeated for Flynn though Flynn had already accepted his stingingly painful endgame. And damn, a girl like Jennah is a gem.
All in all, it was achingly neuralgic and bittersweet. The author had used the right words and sentences to make me grip tighter onto the gist of the story. Tabitha Suzuma had not only rendered me speechless this time, she had also earned my respect for writing such a book about depression and bipolar disorders and made it seem too beautiful and bittersweet. Kudos to you Ms. Suzuma, you really are a literary genius of our time. Thank you for letting me peer and see the cruel world through an emotionally distressed teenager’s eyes.
“I walk quickly back to the station. I will not cry, I will not cry. You sang the song so beautifully, my love... But when you came out of that door, surrounded by friends and family, your eyes alight with happiness, everything became clear. Suddenly I knew I had to do to make you happy. They say that if you really love someone, you should be willing to set them free. So that is what I am doing. I will step back and you will move on. I will not bring you to London, back to hospitals and moods and rows.,. My lovely Jennah, my beautiful Jennah. Your happiness means everything to me. I will listen for your voice in the distance. I will look at the moon. I will keep you in my pocket. I will carry your smile with me everywhere, like a warm comforting glow. –Flynn”
(Pardon me if this book review got too long and too overdramatic. This book got my emotions really stirred up so sorry guys!)
Behold for before you is my longest book review! Sorry oops.
A Note of Madness (Flynn Laukonen #1) left me feeling bewildered and wondered and baffled. On the other hand, A Voice In The Distance (Flynn Laukonen #2) left me rather groaning in devastation and crying in melancholy and drowning and hovering for dear life in the vortexy whirlwind of my misery. I reckon I will be emotionally scarred for the rest of my entire miserable life, thanks to this book.
The story was astoundingly exceptional. I felt nothing but utter happiness when I dip into Jennah and Flynn’s sweet tale of love and dreams and music scores and unplanned sex and Rachmaninov Three and numerous pressure-rising competitions. I felt happy especially for Flynn, and at one certain point, I thought he was going to get better. But he was sucked yet again by his depression and it took control over him. He stopped taking meds, did nothing but to either sleep or lazily crouch down the sofa and do some channel-flicking, and can sometimes be found angrily and indolently playing the piano. He felt tired all the time. But he knew one thing at the back of his mind, the only thing that can guarantee him an easy way out of the miserable corners in the labyrinth that is his life, an apparent and obvious way out, yet he pushes that thought in his mind and denies it relentlessly. That’s why when I read the ending of the fifth chapter, which went like this:
“I want to die.”
I felt goosies gnawed my very insides. It was heart rending. The way he just felt so tired and felt so defeated so he finally raised the white flag that screamed “surrender” from the extreme despair and loneliness and heartache. He succumbed to the temptation of the “easy way out” and surreptitiously takes his own life. Though thankfully, he miserably failed at his attempt, but that does not end his sufferings. That just actually meant that he has to start embarking again through the challenges and horrors of his life.
I love love love love the characters. Let’s start with Harry, the numero uno and the mega-super-ultimate sidekick of Flynn and Jennah. Seemed too redundant, huh? Well, I guess that would still be a massive understatement on his character’s part. I mean, his character is the bestest best friend (redundant!) anyone could ever have. Through Flynn’s ups and downs, which is almost all of the time, Harry was there, managing to keep on track with his bestfriend. When Flynn was having a manic episode, Harry understands. When Flynn was feeling depressed and finds the presence of a mere human being irritating, Harry leaves. He understands, and just sheepishly put on a stark and empty smile. I am really glad that he never pitied Flynn.
Flynn Laukonen. An amateur pianist of the Royal College of Music in London, suffering from manic depression and bipolar disorder. A peer-and socially-pressured lad who is supposed to be inhaling packs and packs of beers and having sex with his girlfriend and having the time of his life and being busy being a hormonal and angsty teenager. When he’s on his meds, he’s depression is flying up to the crazy and deep extremes and the words DEATH DEATH DEATH are popping out on his every thought, flashing in neon lights. When he’s not on his meds, he’s having a manic episode in which he gets too excited and cheered up about everything that clueless to him, it subconsciously turns him into a complete madman. Pretty crazy, huh? The crazier thing is that, I feel so connected to him. I can somehow understand his woes and pains and despairs. That’s why it made me emotionally unstable everytime he’s having an episode. That’s why I almost feel like crying chapter by chapter. Because the depression and the misery and the pain and Flynn all felt real.
Jennah Dawson. JENNAH FRICKING DAWSON I LOVE YOU. To be honest, after finishing A Note of Madness, I sort of contemplated if I should read the next book or not, but then when I found out that it was in Jennah’s (and Flynn’s) POV, I continued reading this series. And oh man, am I so glad to have continued reading the series. Although the pain Flynn is going through is undeniably horrendous, I think Jennah had it a lot harder. There’s the pressure of finals, the recitals she promised to attend to, the trials of living in a flat with Flynn, the eventual manic and depressive episodes of Flynn, Flynn’s not taking of drugs, her mother’s thought of breaking up with Flynn, Flynn’s suicidal attempts and much much more. She had to be responsible and cope up with all of this. Damn, she almost threw all of her opportunities away of being an internationally acclaimed musician . She needed space; Flynn never gave it to her. She gave Flynn a holiday present which after a few nonchalant painful minutes, she found lying lifelessly in the ground; unopened and unappreciated. She took it and kept it and never brought it up with Flynn again. She kept on bugging Flynn to tell her what’s on with his strangled mind and she’ll do her best to understand and untangle it bit by bit; Flynn never did. (I’m not insinuating that Flynn’s a complete douche to Jennah, these are just the manic and depressive episodes that I was talking about.) She never gave up on him though she can feel that Flynn does sometimes. She never surrendered and felt defeated for Flynn though Flynn had already accepted his stingingly painful endgame. And damn, a girl like Jennah is a gem.
All in all, it was achingly neuralgic and bittersweet. The author had used the right words and sentences to make me grip tighter onto the gist of the story. Tabitha Suzuma had not only rendered me speechless this time, she had also earned my respect for writing such a book about depression and bipolar disorders and made it seem too beautiful and bittersweet. Kudos to you Ms. Suzuma, you really are a literary genius of our time. Thank you for letting me peer and see the cruel world through an emotionally distressed teenager’s eyes.
“I walk quickly back to the station. I will not cry, I will not cry. You sang the song so beautifully, my love... But when you came out of that door, surrounded by friends and family, your eyes alight with happiness, everything became clear. Suddenly I knew I had to do to make you happy. They say that if you really love someone, you should be willing to set them free. So that is what I am doing. I will step back and you will move on. I will not bring you to London, back to hospitals and moods and rows.,. My lovely Jennah, my beautiful Jennah. Your happiness means everything to me. I will listen for your voice in the distance. I will look at the moon. I will keep you in my pocket. I will carry your smile with me everywhere, like a warm comforting glow. –Flynn”
(Pardon me if this book review got too long and too overdramatic. This book got my emotions really stirred up so sorry guys!)
July 21, 2022
Este es uno de los finales que más me han gustado en un libro. La cuestión es que cualquier enfermedad mental que viene a mi cabeza es una montaña rusa; arriba, abajo, estable en el medio. Nunca estás en un lugar para siempre, constantemente estás en un movimiento que baja y sube en escala e intensidad, a veces por un tiempo, pero no siempre por mucho. Y la realidad de esta sube y baja es que cada vez que la montaña baja las personas que más sienten este impacto es la gente que te ama. Y no importa cuanto intentes explicar (e insertó un quote de la página 212 que lo hace lo suficientemente bien):
“It's just this pain, this unbearable mental pain –
often it's your body too, and every part of you hurts. But
you don't really care about your body, it's your mind.
Every thought hurts like hell. Everything you see is
awful, twisted, pointless. And the worst – the worst of it
is yourself. You realize you are the most ghastly person
in the world, the most hideous, inside and out. And you
just want to escape, you just want to get rid of yourself,
of your suffering, of the pain inside your head. You want
to shut out the world and yourself, for ever. A-and death
is the only option left because you've been through this
time and time again, thought and thought about trying
to change yourself, the way you think, the way you
behave, the way you live. Yet it always comes back to this
– the fact that you just d-don't want to be alive—”
No importa cuanto intentes explicar esto a las personas que quieres, no importa cuanto deseas que entiendan, cuán culpable te sientes porque no puedes pensar en otra cosa que no sea tu dolor. No puedes. Nadie que no lo experimente podrá entenderlo jamás y ese impacto, ese golpe, ese dolor de incomprensión lo sufren todas las personas que rodean a alguien que si. Y lamento el egoísmo con todo lo que tengo en mi interior, pero a ese nivel de sufrimiento nadie que lo experimente puede llegar a preocuparse de la gente de al rededor, es imposible.
¿Una realidad que cualquier persona que es diagnosticada con una enfermedad mental sabe? Nadie tiene que soportar esto sino estas condenado a experimentarlo. Saber eso es la mayor expresión de amor que alguien con una enfermedad mental puede regalarle a alguien que ama. Ser conscientes que nadie tiene que lidiar con una enfermedad con la que no cargan, amar al nivel de jamás amarrar a nadie a tener que hacerlo. Dejar que se bajen del carrito antes de que experimentes la siguiente vuelta en la montaña rusa, eso es amor.
3.5 para este libro. Un 10 para Tabitha.
“It's just this pain, this unbearable mental pain –
often it's your body too, and every part of you hurts. But
you don't really care about your body, it's your mind.
Every thought hurts like hell. Everything you see is
awful, twisted, pointless. And the worst – the worst of it
is yourself. You realize you are the most ghastly person
in the world, the most hideous, inside and out. And you
just want to escape, you just want to get rid of yourself,
of your suffering, of the pain inside your head. You want
to shut out the world and yourself, for ever. A-and death
is the only option left because you've been through this
time and time again, thought and thought about trying
to change yourself, the way you think, the way you
behave, the way you live. Yet it always comes back to this
– the fact that you just d-don't want to be alive—”
No importa cuanto intentes explicar esto a las personas que quieres, no importa cuanto deseas que entiendan, cuán culpable te sientes porque no puedes pensar en otra cosa que no sea tu dolor. No puedes. Nadie que no lo experimente podrá entenderlo jamás y ese impacto, ese golpe, ese dolor de incomprensión lo sufren todas las personas que rodean a alguien que si. Y lamento el egoísmo con todo lo que tengo en mi interior, pero a ese nivel de sufrimiento nadie que lo experimente puede llegar a preocuparse de la gente de al rededor, es imposible.
¿Una realidad que cualquier persona que es diagnosticada con una enfermedad mental sabe? Nadie tiene que soportar esto sino estas condenado a experimentarlo. Saber eso es la mayor expresión de amor que alguien con una enfermedad mental puede regalarle a alguien que ama. Ser conscientes que nadie tiene que lidiar con una enfermedad con la que no cargan, amar al nivel de jamás amarrar a nadie a tener que hacerlo. Dejar que se bajen del carrito antes de que experimentes la siguiente vuelta en la montaña rusa, eso es amor.
3.5 para este libro. Un 10 para Tabitha.
April 29, 2025
This could have been a powerful, heartbreaking, even healing story, and that is what makes it so frustrating. The premise holds a lot of emotional weight: a young relationship tested by serious mental illness, leading toward a realistic and possibly tragic conclusion. That kind of story can be incredibly moving. But instead of landing with depth, this one ends up feeling hollow and repetitive.
Spoiler Alert
The early chapters are gripping. Flynn’s struggle with bipolar disorder is vivid, and his stay at the psychiatric unit, while leaning a little on stereotypes, still feels emotionally charged. Once he returns home, though, the story begins to lose momentum. Around the start of chapter 11, The characters, especially Jennah, fall into shallow cycles of miscommunication and passive suffering, without any deeper exploration of what they are feeling or why.
Chapters 13 and 14 are where it becomes especially irritating. So many conflicts are raised and then brushed aside so quickly that it feels abrupt and lazy. Much of the tension in the story comes from the characters’ refusal of to communicate openly, which might mirror real-world immaturity, but here it feels exaggerated and tiresome without any deeper exploration. Conflict built purely on endless misunderstanding, without nuance, reflection, or meaningful attempts at dialogue, does not feel like authentic tragedy. It feels like lazy writing. Even with the one and only serious conversation the characters had, albeit realistically immature, fell really flat and boring without nuance. The missed opportunity was frustrating to say the least.
Growth doesn’t mean a happy ending or perfection. It could be believable emotional movement, earned change, or even insight. It was hollowly missed out on this book.
The biggest problem is that the book feels like it was written by someone who wants to depict a "realistic" romance under pressure, but does not really understand how emotional intimacy, conflict, and repair actually work in real relationships, especially ones touched by mental illness. Instead, it falls back on vague longing, constant missed signals, and endless recycled monologues about pain and love that never go anywhere.
Compared to other books that tackle young, hurting characters with real internal movement, like “Girl in Pieces”, this one feels pancake flat.
Spoiler Alert
The early chapters are gripping. Flynn’s struggle with bipolar disorder is vivid, and his stay at the psychiatric unit, while leaning a little on stereotypes, still feels emotionally charged. Once he returns home, though, the story begins to lose momentum. Around the start of chapter 11, The characters, especially Jennah, fall into shallow cycles of miscommunication and passive suffering, without any deeper exploration of what they are feeling or why.
Chapters 13 and 14 are where it becomes especially irritating. So many conflicts are raised and then brushed aside so quickly that it feels abrupt and lazy. Much of the tension in the story comes from the characters’ refusal of to communicate openly, which might mirror real-world immaturity, but here it feels exaggerated and tiresome without any deeper exploration. Conflict built purely on endless misunderstanding, without nuance, reflection, or meaningful attempts at dialogue, does not feel like authentic tragedy. It feels like lazy writing. Even with the one and only serious conversation the characters had, albeit realistically immature, fell really flat and boring without nuance. The missed opportunity was frustrating to say the least.
Growth doesn’t mean a happy ending or perfection. It could be believable emotional movement, earned change, or even insight. It was hollowly missed out on this book.
The biggest problem is that the book feels like it was written by someone who wants to depict a "realistic" romance under pressure, but does not really understand how emotional intimacy, conflict, and repair actually work in real relationships, especially ones touched by mental illness. Instead, it falls back on vague longing, constant missed signals, and endless recycled monologues about pain and love that never go anywhere.
Compared to other books that tackle young, hurting characters with real internal movement, like “Girl in Pieces”, this one feels pancake flat.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2020
Tabitha Suzuma one of the finest under rated authors. She will have her own definition of love and relationship and that is what captivated me towards her. She had written very few books and I have read two among those.
A voice in the distance is a sequel of A note of madness and the craziest thing was I didn’t know that this book has a prequel before I picked it up. Anyways I’ll read the previous book soon. Okay, so this book revolves around a childhood soulmates Flynn and Jennah. Both have a beautiful family. Flynn is basically a bipolar disorder patient. It is Jennah Flynn’s girlfriend who always tries to hold up on him. At one-point Flynn severely affects by the disorder and how Jennah and their family is going to handle the situation? This were the story lies.
What I love most about Tabitha Suzuma’s writing is her way of narration. Always her narration will be to the point. Secondly, I like how she describes love, feelings and relationship in her perspective. Every novel of her will leave you with a wreck. This is a real roller coaster. Any romance lovers here???? You must read her books.
A voice in the distance is a sequel of A note of madness and the craziest thing was I didn’t know that this book has a prequel before I picked it up. Anyways I’ll read the previous book soon. Okay, so this book revolves around a childhood soulmates Flynn and Jennah. Both have a beautiful family. Flynn is basically a bipolar disorder patient. It is Jennah Flynn’s girlfriend who always tries to hold up on him. At one-point Flynn severely affects by the disorder and how Jennah and their family is going to handle the situation? This were the story lies.
What I love most about Tabitha Suzuma’s writing is her way of narration. Always her narration will be to the point. Secondly, I like how she describes love, feelings and relationship in her perspective. Every novel of her will leave you with a wreck. This is a real roller coaster. Any romance lovers here???? You must read her books.
May 5, 2018
I read A Note of Madness a little while ago and absolutely loved it. Flynn is a great character, and the story of his struggles with mental health is just fantastic. There can never be too much awareness, especially in boys/men.
This book was even more... emotional for me. I don't want to go into too much detail, but Flynn really reminds me of my boyfriend. The ending of this novel - while fantastic and honest - was not very comforting at all.
Jennah and Flynn started dating after the first book, and so in this book we alternate between the two narratives. Hearing Jennah's thoughts on what's happening with Flynn was amazing. I related to a lot of it.
In case you haven't heard about A Note of Madness, it's about Flynn Laukonen, a young uni student in London. He struggles with mental health problems and is misdiagnosed at first, but eventually correctly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He suffers from extreme manic episodes, followed by severe depression. Fitting his music - especially competitions - around these episodes is quite a feat.
As I mentioned earlier, the ending is great. It was extremely bittersweet. I think it's good to be honest about things like this, though, and not just throw together a stereotypical happy ending.
In this book, Flynn goes through a few treatment methods. Following attempted suicide (which may be hard for some people to read about, so be warned) he is sectioned and sent to a residential unit for a month. He also has some issues involving his medication and the side effects they cause.
The most noteworthy thing about Jennah's take on Flynn's illness is her admitting that Flynn can be horrible and can hurt her sometimes, and it's okay to recognise that. Just because he is ill does not mean he is excused for harmful and mean behaviour. This is so important for anyone to realise when dealing with a loved one with any kind of mental health problems.
A really good book, realistic and reassuring but really quite emotional. 4 stars.
This book was even more... emotional for me. I don't want to go into too much detail, but Flynn really reminds me of my boyfriend. The ending of this novel - while fantastic and honest - was not very comforting at all.
Jennah and Flynn started dating after the first book, and so in this book we alternate between the two narratives. Hearing Jennah's thoughts on what's happening with Flynn was amazing. I related to a lot of it.
In case you haven't heard about A Note of Madness, it's about Flynn Laukonen, a young uni student in London. He struggles with mental health problems and is misdiagnosed at first, but eventually correctly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He suffers from extreme manic episodes, followed by severe depression. Fitting his music - especially competitions - around these episodes is quite a feat.
As I mentioned earlier, the ending is great. It was extremely bittersweet. I think it's good to be honest about things like this, though, and not just throw together a stereotypical happy ending.
In this book, Flynn goes through a few treatment methods. Following attempted suicide (which may be hard for some people to read about, so be warned) he is sectioned and sent to a residential unit for a month. He also has some issues involving his medication and the side effects they cause.
The most noteworthy thing about Jennah's take on Flynn's illness is her admitting that Flynn can be horrible and can hurt her sometimes, and it's okay to recognise that. Just because he is ill does not mean he is excused for harmful and mean behaviour. This is so important for anyone to realise when dealing with a loved one with any kind of mental health problems.
A really good book, realistic and reassuring but really quite emotional. 4 stars.
June 19, 2025
Holy wow. Standing ovation. I finished the first book two nights ago and thought to myself “do you know what would be even more depressing and endearing, a sequel that is 10x sadder.”
This book was magnificent inside and out I love Flynn so much. His way of thinking is so interesting to me and honestly relatable at some points.
I love the perspective change from book one (third person) to this one being from both Flynn and Jennahs persepctive.
The end was nothing like I expected it to be but in the best way possible (I cried for like 5 minutes). It wasn’t the ending I hoped for but it was the ending that they respectively deserved (I’m still mad about it).
Amazing book I feel like nobody is talking about this duology. I also have to know what like is like for Flynn in the future I want to know everything about it.
Highly recommend!!
This book was magnificent inside and out I love Flynn so much. His way of thinking is so interesting to me and honestly relatable at some points.
I love the perspective change from book one (third person) to this one being from both Flynn and Jennahs persepctive.
The end was nothing like I expected it to be but in the best way possible (I cried for like 5 minutes). It wasn’t the ending I hoped for but it was the ending that they respectively deserved (I’m still mad about it).
Amazing book I feel like nobody is talking about this duology. I also have to know what like is like for Flynn in the future I want to know everything about it.
Highly recommend!!
February 14, 2015
3.5 ish stars I suppose.
Oh man...I was disappointed by this one =/ I still really care about the characters, so I gave it a high rating anyway. If there's one thing Suzuma always succeeds at, it's creating characters I deeply care about like they're real people, even if they're not always likeable (which is what makes them so real). But if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have liked this book very much at all.
I was extremely disappointed by the ending, not because it was sad that they broke up, but because it seemed like they'd never see each other or speak to each other again. Why can't they remain really close friends? I hate this idea people have that if you break up with someone, you can't even ever have contact or a connection with them again after that. They couldn't even greet each other after her concert...why couldn't they at least keep up communication with each other if they care about each other so much? When you care about someone, you'll remain by their side no matter what, even if it's not a romantic relationship. So now are they never going to know what happens to each other, even though they'll always be thinking about it each other? That's so dark, it's like one of them really did die or something. And it was mentioned that they've been friends since they were TEN OR ELEVEN. Like come on. You can't end a decade-long friendship over a relationship. You just cannot.
Speaking of which...what ever happened to Harry? The three of them were childhood friends, like the Three Musketeers or Three Amigos or whatnot. He's never mentioned at the end, where did he go? What was his reaction to the whole Flynn/Jennah fiasco? Does he still keep contact with either of them? So much left unanswered, quite honestly. I'm almost tempted to give the book away and just go on pretending like A Note of Madness is the only book, a standalone book (unless someday she decides to write a third one). But at the same time it's hard to unread what I've read, so yeah...what's done is done. I sort of knew this would happen, but I chanced it anyway. I'm still a fan of Suzuma, but this book just wasn't as good.
The other reason I was disappointed by the ending was that I really wanted something that could say, "Hey, people with bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses are just like you, just like everyone. Just ordinary people who can date people too and hold down relationships every bit as much as the next person can." Well of course, I didn't get that ending. And I know it's more because of Flynn lying rather than being bipolar, and I'm definitely not offended by it or thinking there's some kind of prejudice in there or anything--I am not a social justice warrior--but it still would've been nice to see someone like Flynn have a more happier ending, a more hopeful ending, like the first book. This just makes it seem like he'll never be happy.
The characters: Harry and Jennah are such good friends. Rami is a sweetheart, best older bro ever. I really liked Flynn in the first book. I still deeply care about him and want him to be okay and turn out alright, but I don't think I can use the word 'like' anymore. I know I can't rightly get mad at someone for having an illness or for being so depressed and feeling so awful they decide to take their own life, but I thought he'd finally learned by the end of A Note of Madness that he absolutely HAD to take his lithium, that bipolar disorder was a serious thing, and that it was super important he do what his brother and doctors tell him. It's like he hadn't learned anything from the first book, he just made the exact same mistakes, only with far more dire consequences this time. He just seemed angry throughout the entire book, doing nothing but hurting his friends, family, and mostly himself. There was even a point where he started denying having bipolar at all, and I was like WHAT? Oh Flynn...you could've had Jennah. It would've been lovely. Why can't there be a happy couple ending in one of these books?
They're all starting to feel the same actually...like Flynn=Lochan=Matteo. Jennah=Maya=Lola. Then there's Harry and Hugo, the two good friends that you don't really hear about, the siblings, the other girlfriend of the friends...and there's always an attempted suicide. They're all starting to blur together, like they're the same characters with different names. I like them, but I think it's time to start branching out.
The book wasn't very long, and I can see why. It's honestly just very repetitive, the same old thing happening again and again: Flynn and co. get together and everything seems fine, then Flynn has an episode (either manic or depressed), there's panic and confusion, he turns out alright...rinse and repeat? I wasn't feeling it straight from the beginning. I thought the whole paint thing was just ridiculous and I had a hard time imagining it. I'm not saying it can't happen, but it just didn't feel genuine to me. It's like I was sort of sad during the book, but sort of not because at the same time I had a hard time believing most of it. I was just sort of bored. It wasn't the same genuine sadness and anxiety I felt from her other books.
Well, no author's perfect, and maybe this was just her weak book. Like I said, maybe she'll write a third one to make up for this one. Otherwise, I wish it had just been the first book and that's it, because the first one was great.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2016
The ending of A Voice in the Distance was like, "Hey, how's your hope going on? Still doing good? Well you might wanna loosen your grip on it a bit, since it would hurt less when I yank it away." But of course, I didn't, so you can easily imagine how it went. It kinda remind me of the ending of Me Before You, but thankfully not that tearful.
If you love someone, learn to let them go.
I hate it that it was sad, but I understand.
4 stars
If you love someone, learn to let them go.
I hate it that it was sad, but I understand.
4 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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