Author Sharman Badgett-Young recently allowed me the high honor of reading an ARC copy of her newest title Dream Mire in exchange for an honest review. In this thrilling mystery, the main character Tiegen is a young woman with a mental illness that inhibits her from being able to distinguish her dreams from her reality. Doing her best to keep the details of her life from intermixing, Tiegen attempts to maintain consistency and stability in her life by concentrating on her studies. When she accidentally overhears what sounds like the plotting of a hate crime, she begins to question not just her self and sanity, but also those around her in an attempt to make things right.
As anyone who receives national or even global news through any medium knows, our contemporary world is littered with Islamaphobia. The hate crime that develops within the story centers around this same line of thought that stems from sweeping generalizations, disingenuous stereotyping, and irrational action against one group based on the actions of a small, separate, minority subgroup. Therefore, the plot lends itself well to readers of our contemporary society who can identify with the social issues that are addressed throughout the novel. And while the plot revolves around this possible conspiracy of the anti-Muslim hate crime, there are multiple facets that contribute to the development of the story as a whole. Tiegen's struggle to maintain control over her sometimes debilitating mental illness, mixed with the possibility of her having overhead the plans for this alleged upcoming crime, juxtaposed against the new male love interest who happens to move into her life all layer against one another to deepen the interest of the story line.
Adding to this interest, the nature of Tiegen's mental illness leaves the reader consistently questioning the semi-unreliable narrator. While the reader learns to trust Tiegen's intentions, it is often difficult to know what is reality-truth and what is Tiegen-truth - are the details that Tiegen reveals an experience from her real world or a dream whose details she cannot regulate? This allows the reader's mind to continuously wander through what may or may not be true which gives room for the plot to take twists and turns that are feasible and probably, but not necessarily factual.
I have not read many stories in which the main character experiences a mental illness - a topic which, when handled without caution and care, can come off as insensitive, stereotyped, and ignorant. While I have not faced a mental illness myself, I have faced physical disabilities of my own - both crippling and slight. And though I have been fortunate enough to not have had to personally deal with anything more than minor anxiety, one of my very closest siblings lives with a more extreme anxiety disorder. While reading Badgett-Young's descriptions of Tiegen's personal struggle with her own mental illness, the experience (I can only speak from my own experiences) feels genuine. The fluctuation of good days into bad days and back, plus the waves of emotion from feeling in control to feeling stifled by and at the mercy of the illness, all come through in Tiegen's thoughts, actions, and interactions with those closest to her. The sometimes crippling thoughts of paranoia and self-doubt of what others think of you, along with the judgments from their well-intended facial expressions and words of sympathy all show that Badgett-Young attempts to address the topic with an understanding of the frustrations, self-doubt, and instability that follow from having a disability of any sort.
Badgett-Young's verity in her plot line, her knowledgeable explanation of what it is like to live with a disability, the authenticity of her setting, and the more-than-probable character development all compile into a novel that keeps the reader interested with little confusion, questioning, or need for suspension of disbelief. All in all, I highly recommend this read to anyone who enjoys light crime drama with psychological twists.
I am greatly obliged to Sharman Badgett-Young for allowing me this awesome opportunity not only to read her wonderful work, but to share my enjoyment of it with all of you. Dream Mire will be available for purchase starting September 16th on Amazon Kindle where her first title, Kiln Zone, is also available for download. If you would like to follow or get in touch with her regarding either of her novels, her account on Instagram is @pacificnwauthor where she is an active member of the bookstagram community.
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