Last year I joined the Facebook-group of a new favourite author and picked up several book recommendations for other authors from there. Among others, I found Small Change by Roan Parrish.

Small Change is about tattoo artist Ginger’s and cook Christopher’s love story and it was amazing and it needs a review all of its own. Among the large gallery of characters in that book was Ginger’s fellow tattoo artist Faron and Christopher’s brother Jude. Part of the storyline in Small Change is about how Christopher deals with his feelings regarding his brother’s depression and it was so thoughtful and kind and I loved how Roan handled it.

So when I read later that the next book in the series would deal with Jude and Faron I was thrilled but also a little bit apprehensive. I have dealt with my own kind of depression a few years ago and it is such a hard topic for an author to tackle and do justice.

I was once recommended a book that was said to incorporate the kind of depression I had and when I read it I couldn’t connect with it at all. The author had lived through it herself but the way she wrote about it did not speak to me and I was not motivated to pick up any more of her books.

I have no idea what Roan Parrish has experienced but the way she describes Jude’s depression in this book is so good, so considerate and so well-done I can only applaud her and recommend this book to anyone who has a friend, relative or anyone they know who deals with depression. I’m sure it isn’t representative to all persons but it is so well done I almost started the book over just as soon as I had finished it because it was just that good.

Not only is Jude’s portrayal good, the way Roan has Faron respond to him and assist him is just wonderful and I wish every person with depression had a friend like that to hold their hand through it.