Another Night, Another Day by Sarah Rayner ~ Book Review

Karen, Abby and Michael all find themselves as inpatients at Moreland's Place, a private clinic.  They all come from different backgrounds but they have one thing in common:  the debilitating depression that had taken over their lives and effected the way they and their loved ones lived.   None of them really wants to be there but they must all get over their personal resistance.  Going to their one on ones  and  participating in  group sessions with their therapist, Johnnie, is their ticket home.  But as they start to open themselves up to each other, and admit their secrets not just to the group but to themselves personally, a bond starts to form in their little band and a real sense of caring for one another starts to happen.  As each comes to the close of their stay and are allowed to go home, will they be able to take the coping skills they've learned in the clinic and make them work outside of their group in "real life"?  It isn't too far along that life throws them crisis' and they soon find out if they can make it on "the outside".

I will confess that this was a total cover buy.  I really thought the cover was pretty.  It wasn't until well into the book that I put two and two together and realized that this was like a part II to another book which I actually had on my "want to read list".  Coincidentally, that book also had teacups.  So I actually had a moment of being ticked that I had read a sequel before I read the first book.  That being said, not reading the first did not make this  book at all confusing or hard to understand.  It read like a stand alone.  The author did a great job of telling this story without having to have the knowledge of the first.

I also thought the author did a really good job of exploring mental health and issues of depression.  The characters were relatable as were they're situations.  I was really drawn into their stories and was cheering them on hoping they would all be ok in the end.  Karen is a widower who's husband died at a young age from a heart attack and still in the journey of grief for him now her father also passes away.  She always puts others first so her emotional health has been set on the back burner as she tries to also be there for her mom at this time.  Abby's seven year old son has autism and he can be emotionally and physically draining.  She feels that she has had to do it all when it concerns her son and has been resenting her husband's lack of involvement.  They haven't been connected emotionally in a long time and she's watching her marriage fall apart in front of her.   Michael has spent a life time building his flower shop business but it hasn't been good for the last few years and he has been juggling his debt owing money to different suppliers.  When he loses a major account, it is the last straw and he loses his business.  But he has a hard time admitting how bad it is to his wife and family and tries to should the load all by himself and instead has turned to drinking to forget about everything.  All this comes to a head in their lives and they find themselves at Moreland's Place.  

I finished this book with what I hope is a better understanding and more compassion for those with anxiety, depression and those suffering from mental health issues.  One small thing I had with the story was, for myself, because the book dealt with several story lines, I sometimes got lost with who was who amongst the secondary characters.

I rated it a 8.5/10