We live in a world plagued with depression. The disorder can affect everything from our mood to our appetite. In Emma Eggleston’s debut novel, Escape, Matty seems to have everything going for him. But looks can be deceiving. On the inside, he isn’t the same happy young adult he presents to his friends. Instead, he suffers from depression severe enough to warrant his inclusion in a medical study testing a new treatment. The medicine works, but not in a way Matty ever thought possible.
Laila isn’t exactly Matty’s kind of girl. She’s odd and offbeat, but surprisingly positive, with an optimistic worldview. When Matty confides in her about his depression, Laila is supportive, yet cautious. But something inside urges her to trust him. So when Matty offers her one of his anti-depressant pills, promising a transformative and magical escape from reality, Laila takes him up on the offer. Not only does their relationship change, but their entire future shifts once they take the experimental prescription together.
Mesmerizing and magical, Escape transports readers on a bittersweet journey exploring all the possibilities that life has to offer. Both nearing the end of high school, Matty and Laila’s friendship blooms into something more meaningful in the way only naive teenage emotions allow. The decision for Laila to take drugs on a whim and with a boy she hardly knows is partly frustrating and partly believable. After all, who didn’t do crazy, maybe even regrettable things in their youth? The writing style is unfussy and some of the themes, fitting in and dealing with a mental disorder, are oversimplified, perfect for a light read. And although the story is more tell than show, readers will certainly enjoy the journey with Matty and Laila. Escape features all the whimsy and potential of the movie Inception, in a breezy, easy to read package.
