Reviews for A Voice in the Distance

Well, I think Aidan Chambers has finally been knocked off his spot. For the last six years, his Postcards from No-man’s Land has been my all-time favourite book. Admittedly, this was followed quite closely by Tabitha Suzuma’s A Note of Madness. But now A Voice in the Distance seems to outshine them both. A Voice in the Distance is the sequel to A Note of Madness, including the same characters and continuing the story of Flynn who keeps his Bipolar disorder at bay with two small pills a day… which seem to stop working early in this novel. He is a brilliant musician and is set for a glittering career as a concert pianist. He truly loves his Jennah, a childhood friend and now his lover, who is also a talented flautist and singer. He has the support of another good friend, Harry, also a student at the Royal College of Music. Suzuma has written this so that you don’t need to have read A Note of Madness first to understand it. I am sure, however, that you wouldn’t quite have the same emotional engagement with the characters if you hadn’t read the first novel. You may not love them quite enough. Nevertheless, our closeness to both Flynn and Jennah is maintained through two very convincing first person narratives, where Suzuma has truly found the voice of her characters. This is a Young Adult novel par excellence. The stakes are high for Flynn and Jennah. Although the novel is quite introspective, there are great highs and alarming lows and plenty of pace. We are totally captivated by the two main characters, who grow and change as they must in all Young Adult novels. The ending is ambiguous, leaving the reader to decide how life will pan out for the two main characters. I'm normally a disciplined reader, keeping my distance and holding on to my objectivity, but I did stay up to finish this last night. I just had to find out what happened to these two charming young people whom I love dearly. But I’m not going to tell you and deprive you of the joy of finding out for yourselves. Gill James This is the kind of sequel that every excellent book deserves, if it has to have one! Tabitha Suzuma's A Note of Madness introduced us to the young music genius, Flynn, whose battle with rapid-cycling depression led to the the creation of one of the most challenging and memorable book for teenagers that I have read in a long, long time. It was a brutally honest portrayal of subject often shunned by both authors and publishers. A Voice in the Distance, the sequel to this compelling novel, is a wonderful book in its own right. The novel moves between Flynn's narrative to Jennah's narrative in successive chapters. This alternating point-of-view of the narrative allows for two 'real' voices to emerge, not so much as duet, but rather to create a story constructed from disparate perspectives. Jennah, Flynn's lover, is a wonderful foil to the chaos that is Flynn; as he once more faces his depression and deals not only with his condition, but the lives of those who care for him: his friends, his parents, his brother and his teachers at the Royal College of Music. A tough, very realistic and uncomrpmising book, Suzuma avoids sentimentlising either her characters or their narratives, and though she sets them in the midst of the torment of this particular kind of depression, never forgets that she is first and foremost a storyteller. Finian O'Shea The Flying Flynn? "A Voice In The Distance" is the sequel to last years "A Note Of Madness" and continues the story of Flynn Laukonen. Flynn is, by all accounts, a musical genius but as we discovered in the first of this series he also has a number of mental conditions that are classed as a bipolar disorder. In Flynn's case he switches from a manic state and then when he comes back down he gets very depressed. This book takes up the story a couple of years later where Flynn and Jennah are nearing completion of university and are living together. Flynn has been taking his prescribed lithium treatments and everything is going fine. However, after the summer, things start to get worse and it seems as though Flynn is heading towards becoming manic again. Flynn doesn't realise it's happening and Jennah fears that it may just be pressure that Flynn is under and hopes that he will calm down afterwards. However that is not to be. This book is once again a well-written look into mental illness. This time the narrative takes the story from the point of view of Flynn and what he sees and then alternates it with Jennah's understanding of what is going on. It is this second view that really touched me. As someone who has stood on the sidelines with a close relative going through much of this mental anguish it is so hard to know what to do and say - do you continue on as normal, or try and pull them through it, and what do you do when that help gets kicked back in your face? The impotence is expressed well in this book for Flynn's friends and particularly his girlfriend Jennah. From Flynn's perspective this book gives an insight into patient care in the psychiatric hospital and how he then faces the big wide world afterwards. The character is perfectly drawn and very believable. This, along with the first book, make excellent reading for teens and above, highlighting the very real issue of mental illness in teenagers and young adults. There are very few authors that tackle this subject and Tabitha is someone who has really nailed the insight and the respect for the condition and has also taken into consideration the very real feelings of those who love and care for people who really can be trying to destroy themselves. The end of the book feels like unfinished business between some of the characters and I would love to see the third novel published shortly. Once again this is a fantastic piece of sensitive writing that deserves to be read by young and old alike! Rob Allwright The efficacy of Tabitha Suzuma’s A Voice in the Distance extends from her richly detailed portrayal of Flynn whose loves, fears and losses are convincingly depicted. Use of the dual narrative device provides insight into the minds of the afflicted and those surrounding them. With studies showing one in ten children have a mental health disorder, this is a topical and reflective book with an emotional range that aids a breadth of understanding. The Bookseller I can't remember the last book that made me cry - actually shed a tear - so A Voice in the Distance must have had a very powerful effect on me indeed. It is the sequel to A Note of Madness and continues the story of Flynn, a music student at the Royal College, but the story is strong enough to stand on its own merits and requires no previous knowledge. Flynn and Jennah are in their last year at the RCM and Flynn, having been relatively stable for a while, is starting to lose control of his bipolar disorder, mainly through refusing to take his medicine. The result is an inevitable (and all the more powerful because of it) descent into bouts of full-blown manic depression, and I found my toes curling of their own accord when Flynn decides to 're-paint' his best friend's room. Interestingly, I found the character of Jennah somewhat frustrating although I cannot say why; her actions are all too believable as she struggles with her love for Flynn balanced against her wish that he should just be 'normal'. Their relationship was never going to be easy, but the end of the book was handled so beautifully that I couldn't help but be totally convinced. A Voice in the Distance is a real achievement, handled with skill and compassion, and Suzuma's writing is clearly going from strength to strength. Joanna Kenrick The mysteries of love are probed in Tabitha Suzuma's A Voice in the Distance, the emphasis being once again on its delight and its despair. Flynn, its hero, combines being a brilliant classical pianist with being a sufferer from manic depression, an illness which is finally to drive him towards self-destruction; his girlfriend, Jennah, must cope. Psychosis, breakdowns, a spell in a psychiatric hospital are all part of the young man's existence but so also is the promise of a glittering musical career. Some sacrifices have to be made. With events narrated alternately, and equally convincingly, by Flynn and Jennah, Suzuma's novel effectively demonstrates that real love, sometimes, will involve setting the loved one free. Robert Dunbar, The Irish Times A Voice in the Distance by Tabitha Suzuma is the stand-alone sequel to A Note of Madness. I read the former first and hunted out the latter because I enjoyed Suzuma's writing and characters so much. A Voice in the Distance is a story told through the eyes of star pianist Flynn Laukonen and his equally musical girlfriend, Jennah. Flynn, though brilliantly talented, is bipolar and must keep up his medication to keep the highs from getting out of control and the lows from driving him to suicide. The side-effects of the drugs, however, impact on Flynn's playing. He makes a conscious choice to go it alone to battle his disorder and, as expected, things get wildly out of control and his actions affect those closest to him. This is a fabulous book: wonderfully convincing characters, beautifully crafted writing (like the beauty of the music created by Jennah and Flynn) and an utterly convincing journey seen through the eyes of both the sufferer and his lover. Highly recommended for any mature teen, especially those with a love of music. Tania Roxborogh The story is set two and a half years after A Note of Madness and brings us up to date with Flynn, Jennah and their friend Harry. They are in their final year at Music College, and Flynn is making a name for himself. This story stands alone from the previous story – and although it is useful to have the background knowledge of the relationships, it isn’t essential. Told from two points of view – Flynn and Jennah – the reader quickly becomes aware that something is not quite right, through contrasting Flynn’s perception with Jennah’s perception of the same incidents and behaviours. Flynn has manic depression, controlled by medication. His friends have learned to accommodate him when he has an episode, either of mania or depression. They know that his medication will be tweaked, therapy will be stepped up, and everyone waits for it to pass. Which it normally does – until now. Then follows the dilemma for Jennah of realising her life is balanced between being lover and carer or her career, while for Flynn it is a balance between being a musical genius with the swings of manic depression, or coping with the side effects of medication which dull his senses and ability to play, but allows him to live a normal life. This is a very well written account of the dilemmas of manic depression, and the effects on friends and family, as well as addressing the stigma of mental illness. It describes the role taken on by his friends as his “carers” and the pressures it puts on their lives. How they question their loyalty to Flynn, and the decisions that they make about their lives as a consequence. Most importantly of all it shows the real dilemma of people with mental health problems, and decisions they have make about the affect of medication on their everyday functioning – something which can be very hard to grasp. It is useful for classroom discussion of the topics and is suitable for all ages from 12 upwards. Janet Dowling