Sanctuary Reviews

Melody by shafirasharik

Melody

By shafirasharik

Melody is about a teenage girl who struggles with PTSD and panic disorder that's complicated by depression. She navigates the challenges of being a teenager in a family that doesn't quite understand what she is experiencing and isn't much help, but sympathetic to some degree. This story is heavily character based and less focused on plot, but with its themes and topics of choice, I think that this is really appropriate. The character work is very strong, Melody's inner conflict is extremely convincing, and sensitive topics such as mental illness are respectfully and accurately written. Overall, this is a really strong work that is sure to connect with its audience, especially since many readers, I imagine, will relate strongly to Melody's plight.

Melody's life is completely controlled by her anxiety and panic disorder. She hasn't pursued professional help because she doesn't have access to it which will hit home for a lot of your American readers. It doesn't help that her sister is a brat and a bully and constantly mocks her for her panic attacks, believing that Melody is simply making them up. Her mother is kind, but disconnected and largely useless and spends most of her time spoiling Melody's bratty fourteen-year-old sister rather than focusing on getting Melody the help she needs. The story shows how simple everyday tasks are a nightmare for Melody, from completing chores while gritting her way through brutal panic attacks to working up the courage to go watch fireworks on New Year's Eve with her family. She is slowly retreating into avoidance behaviors and, tragically, blames herself for everything rather than recognizing that she is suffering from a mental illness and simply needs care.

The story primarily explores a theme about loneliness. Melody wants to isolate herself because her panic attacks make every normal day feel like she is living in some sort of purgatory. The only comfortable place for her is her piano in her room where she finds solace in her music–a part of the story that I found to be particularly beautiful. Because this is the only place where her anxiety isn't hurting her, the only place where she feels safe, she withdraws into it and cuts herself off from the outside world. I thought the way her character was written was great because that's exactly how panic disorder behaves: victims isolate themselves through avoidance behaviors because completing basic tasks or even leaving the house can be so excruciating. Once they're completely isolated, they're not suffering from panic attacks anymore, but then they suffer from severe depression because they are lonely...however, the panic is so intense that they'd rather be incredibly lonely than go out and try to socialize while fighting their anxiety the entire time. Sometimes socializing while suffering from panic disorder results in disastrous consequences such as humiliation or even dangerous, violent, and traumatizing panic attacks. So victims such as Melody continue to avoid, isolate, and retreat, until suddenly they can't leave their houses anymore, and they haven't in months or even years. There's a lot of accuracy in this story that demonstrates how knowledgeable the author is about the mental illnesses her characters have and I thought that the writing, for this reason, was very well done.

See you, space cowboy