The Opposite of Music

In her first novel, Young explores the emotional toll clinical depression takes on one family, especially 15-year-old Billy. Arriving home one day after school with his friend Gordy, Billy is surprised to find his father, Bill Sr., already home. The man acts strangely, as if he ""sees us but doesn't acknowledge us in any way."" A doctor confirms that Bill is suffering from depression. At first, the family members go along with the doctor's recommendation to put Bill on medication but then decide to develop their own program after he suffers several worrisome side effects. Billy agrees to help his father, but his commitment comes at a high price (""You will come home directly after school so that you can take over from me,"" says his mother). Billy puts all of his energy into helping his dad only to witness his father's mental health deteriorating. Billy's first-person narration conveys his growing desperation. He expresses his fears and concerns in songs and poetry, as well as through his reactions to books and articles he reads as he researches his father's illness. When his father becomes suicidal, the family decides to seek medical intervention using electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Without judgment, Young lays out the circumstances of Bill's illness and the repercussions on the family. Teens who have encountered similar issues will be able to relate to Billy's emotional ups and downs, and to recognize the effects on his mother. As his father's mental health improves with the ECT, Billy articulates the family's fragile sense of hope, even as he finds it difficult to relinquish his role as caretaker. Ages 14-up.