Two people meet in the Art Institute by chance. Prior to their encounter, he is a doctoral student who manages his destructive thoughts with compulsive calculations about time travel; she is a bipolar counterfeit artist, undergoing court-ordered psychotherapy. By the end of the story, these things will still be true. But this is not a story about endings.
Our December book club discussion is on Alone with You in the Ether, a novel by Olivie Blake. We dive into the representation of bipolar disorder, both how it’s written and the author’s note on her intentions for the story. We also have an update about the future of the podcast.
Content notes
Bipolar Disorder, substance use, mandated/compulsory therapy, medication side effects
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Detailed Show Notes
About the Book
CHICAGO, SOMETIME—
Two people meet in the Art Institute by chance. Prior to their encounter, he is a doctoral student who manages his destructive thoughts with compulsive calculations about time travel; she is a bipolar counterfeit artist, undergoing court-ordered psychotherapy. By the end of the story, these things will still be true. But this is not a story about endings.
For Regan, people are predictable and tedious, including and perhaps especially herself. She copes with the dreariness of existence by living impulsively, imagining a new, alternate timeline being created in the wake of every rash decision.
To Aldo, the world feels disturbingly chaotic. He gets through his days by erecting a wall of routine: a backbeat of rules and formulas that keep him going. Without them, the entire framework of his existence would collapse.
For Regan and Aldo, life has been a matter of resigning themselves to the blueprints of inevitability—until the two meet. Could six conversations with a stranger be the variable that shakes up the entire simulation?
About the Author
Olivie Blake is the New York Times bestselling author of speculative fiction for adults, including The Atlas Six trilogy, Alone with You in the Ether, Masters of Death, the short story collection Januaries, and her most recent novel, Girl Dinner. With Little Chmura, she is the co-creator of the graphic series Clara and the Devil. As Alexene Farol Follmuth, she is also the author of the young adult novels My Mechanical Romance and Twelfth Knight. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son.
Our Thoughts
We both struggled with the book, unfortunately. There are some positives, of course. The writing can be beautiful, and there are great character moments. There is great banter and chemistry between the main characters. We also appreciate Olivie Blake’s author’s note, outlining her experience with bipolar disorder. On the other hand, the prose is often overwritten and tips into pretention. We thought the relationship dynamic was rather unhealthy, and we weren’t sure we wanted them to be together by the end.
We discussed the portrayal of Regan’s bipolar disorder as well as her experience with treatment, including medication. Olivie Blake’s author notes make clear that Regan’s story is not meant to be prescriptive, and her own experience with treatment is different. However, if the story was read without the author’s note, it can be interpreted as a tick of approval for going off medications without a doctor’s management.
Of course, one story should not bear the responsibility of a perfect representation. We hope there will be more good stories of experiences with bipolar disorder, so that a variety of experiences can be represented.
Book Club Discussion Questions
- Are you a fan of plot or character-driven novels? What is your preferred balance?
- In the episode, we talk about the danger of a single story – putting too much pressure on one instance of representation to get it ‘perfect’. What is the responsibility of writers who are talking about underrepresented experiences, like mental health conditions?
- We felt the writing was a bit pretentious, but others love the writing style. What did you think?
- What are your thoughts on Regan and Aldo’s relationship? Do you think it’s healthy or unhealthy?
- What are your thoughts on the ending? Do you think Regan and Aldo’s relationship will go the distance?
Resources
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