BLANK: A Novel Abstraction

by Ashley Wylde

What do you do with all of the churned-up leftovers when your mind-machine stops holding in all your pain? Do you remember when you were a child? Isn't it funny how the horrible things going on around you then had a haze of misunderstanding? You are not a child anymore. What do you find when you look backward? What glue do you use to piece all the pieces back into place?




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BLANK
www.blanknovel.com

204 pages, Paperback

Published January 12, 2018

Reviews

[ShingetsuMoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing experience and one I’ll never quite be able to put into words.

From the moment I sat down to start I didn’t want to put it down until I was finished. It was heartbreaking, compelling, healing, and humbling. It’s rare to see someone open themselves up so willingly but it’s also a relief to see parts of yourself reflected in what others have gone through. It’s incredible how healing it can be just to realize that you aren’t the only one who has experienced the pain you have carried around for so long.

I’m glad I had the chance to read it and I feel better for having done so.

[Ashe Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most incredible books I've ever read, to say that it is art is an understatement. I keep sitting here trying to find the right words to describe my experience reading this book, and all I can say is that it left me raw and breathless. It is beautiful, and real, and powerful.

[Tiff Weekley · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much to take from this experience. It's overflowing with introspection, emotion, and vulnerability, and wrapped together with beautiful writing and style. Highly recommend.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a raw and moving book exploring mental illness, trauma, growing up, finding oneself, learning to live and so much more. The descriptions of emotions and experiences were both beautiful and heartrending. The artistic use of words and formatting through the book only added to the power of this incredible book.
The final pages gave me goosebumps and hope.

[David M. M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesus Christ.

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically I’m leaving two reviews. I purchased this book back in 2021, read it, wrote a review but never posted it. Here is my first review from June 2021:

This is a very compelling book that, as the author puts it, is best consumed in one go. Not that you'd want to put it down once you've started anyway. The pauses themselves also aid in that feeling of selah, which you I found to be a key part of the reading process. I should have seen this coming based on the title, and that is that I do not do too well with abstraction. However, that just means that I will need to re-read the book in order to make it fully make sense to me. I did manage to grab a few quotes from it (a must for me), but I think that I wasn't interpreting the darkness properly in the beginning.

I don’t think I finished writing down all my thoughts for that one, unfortunately. But here is my updated review from today. I just finished re-reading this book about an hour ago and wow. I’m still speechless.

BLANK left me with a prompt and a swirling mind. This book is so small and “fast”, but it is not easy. I still have trouble understanding some of the lessons, but I continue to search the pages for answers. The darkness… is it depression? Is it Soul-darkness? I’m not sure. To me, it can be both. The darkness brings about rage, but also self-loathing, and sadness, and ugly. I can understand this darkness. I can relate to some of the early-childhood experiences described here. I have asked myself ‘what will I do with my blank canvas?’ I have started to finally paint in the desires and longings that I have kept sealed away for so long. It’s very much a work in progress, but it is becoming. I, am becoming. I have no coherent words for how this book makes me feel, but it is a book I cherish immensely. Thank you for putting it out into the world. I am so glad it exists 🩵

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

ambitious, emotional, gripping