Having battled depression and anxiety for most of her life, Wren hits a point where she can't continue to cope on her own. Taking a leave of absence from her emotionally draining job as a social worker, she seeks help, from professionals, from loving extended family, and from those within her faith. Making progress, she reaches out to help a struggling friend from her past, but can she help him recover without jeopardizing her own fragile healing?

I don't know that I've ever seen a book this gut-wrenchingly open and vulnerable in regards to mental illness, depression, and anxiety. Sometimes the intensity and the darkness the characters were experiencing was too much, and I needed to step away to catch my own breath. However, I've never seen a book take on the heaviness of depression and call out and dash all of the typical "Christian" responses of "you just need more faith," or the belief that Christians shouldn't experience depression. Those aren't Christian answers, they're lazy answers.

There were themes in this book that I am not personally well-acquainted with, such as the stations of the Cross, and while it didn't detract from my reading experience, I think it would make the book an even richer read for those who are familiar with a more mystical approach to Christianity, with some possibly Catholic rituals added in. (I apologize if I have mis-categorized the rituals in the book)

I have not read any of this author's previous works, and this book stands alone just fine. However, I did read somewhere that there are some character crossovers, which I think would enhance the background support of this story if the reader were familiar with them.

I give this book 4 stars. I don't quite know what else I could wish for from this book, and maybe it's the dark subject matter that leaves me feeling too heavy to say I loved it. That would be through no fault of the author's writing. But I know that I could not personally pick up this book back up to read again. At least not anytime soon.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

I have personally struggled with anxiety and depression for over a decade, and for the past two decades I’ve watched my uncle fight his own demons. I first learned about his mental illness when I was 12, and by then he’d already spent years in and out of hospitals, been on and off of medications, and had tried various experimental treatments, He has been through the full gamut and struggles still.

Shades of Light introduces us to Wren Crawford—a young social worker who has devoted herself to helping those in society who can’t help themselves. But she has a personal struggle of her own—she suffers from severe anxiety and depression. She connects deeply with the work and writings of Vincent van Gogh—identifying with his feelings of compassion for humanity and active melancholy. Her recovery, however, is threatened when an old friend with his own struggles comes back into her life, needing more helps than she can give.

Brown approaches mental illness with a gentleness and sensitivity that is rare, especially in Christian circles where judgment unfortunately is all too common. It’s obvious she did extensive research in the way she was able to capture the extreme feelings of despair and loneliness.

She also depicted the way mental illness affects the family members with honesty and empathy—the caretakers suffer, too. The whole family is affected, and the anger, the sadness, the helplessness is real.

Shades of Light is a difficult book for me to review. The writing was not as polished as I usually prefer; the dialogue, especially, felt a bit choppy and stilted at times—and yet. And yet—this is a book that I think deserves to be read. It’s the first book I’ve read from a Christian perspective that goes beyond ineffectual platitudes and dangerous, shallow theology and presents an honest look at life with mental illness in light of faith and God’s grace and love.

Another great read from Sharon Garlough Brown! Addressing the issue of mental illness, this book brings attention to the something that is grossly misunderstood by the Christian culture. The author does a. wonderful job showing the agony that those with anxiety and depression fight and also the heart wrenching path that their care givers experience along the way. The protagonist finds comfort in Jesus and paintings - especially those of Vincent Van Gogh. It was so interesting, I had too look up the different paintings that were mentioned throughout the book. The author did a great job with reasearch into the issue at hand and in the artist. It was nice to revisit some of the characters from "The Sensible Shoes" series- about 10 years later. This story lends itself to a potential sequel. I hope Sharon plans to write more about Wren and her journey.

Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy!