The Boy Between: the darkness of depression and the hope to find the light again

The Boy Between: A Mother and Son’s Journey from a World Gone Grey  by Josiah Hartley and his mother, bestselling novelist, Amanda Prowse. When Josiah, “Josh”, was nineteen, heading to university, the world seemingly opened at his feet, something changed. Without warning, his mental health deteriorated and he planned to take his own life. His mother found herself grasping for ways to help him with no clear idea if anything would work. Against all odds, they found a way out of the dark tunnel and they decided to write the book they wished was available to them at their darkest moments. While he suffered his darkest moments, his family suffered as well, dreading the day they might get the one call no parent wants to get. Their message is clear. For anyone with depression or a family desperate to help, you are not alone and there is hope. 

I have been a fan of Ms. Prowse for a few years and her stories are family dramas with no clear resolution. She finds herself in the middle of a family situation as devastating as the ones she writes about. Switching between Josh and Amanda, the reader gets a picture of both sides. Josh’s voice is raw and at times, extremely bleak. He often speaks with humor but always with honesty as he accounts his life with depression. Amanda’s voice is the heartbreaking, gut wrenching account of her own pain at watching her beloved son descend into darkness and her helplessness to stop it. The Boy Between is a beautiful, honest account of this family’s battle with depression. There were multiple sections in which I cried. My heart broke as theirs did. It is a must read for both parents and their children to understand the depths of depression and the hope that there is a way out. I highly recommend The Boy Between.

The Boy Between: A Mother and Son’s Journey from a World Gone Grey

 is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook.