THE WORDS WE KEEP by Erin Stewart speaks to the often-avoided topic of mental illness. Anxiety, depression, and stress plague more and more people today. Teens suffering from these forms of mental illness don't always have the help they need or the skills to ask for that help. Author Erin Stewart shares a story to bring these issues to light for those needing help and those wanting to give help.
Lily will never forget what she calls the Night on the Bathroom Floor when she discovered her older sister Alice in a pool of blood. Lily will forever regret that she froze and didn't know how to offer the help her sister needed. Now Alice has returned from time at a treatment center, and Lily realizes she still doesn't know how to help because Alice isn't the only one who may be crazy.
Straight A student, track star, and always a good girl, Lily is quietly struggling with her own monsters. Since her mother's death after the birth of her little sister, Lily has tried her hardest to make things easy for her father. When her English teacher announces a contest that could earn her a scholarship to UC Berkley for a summer program, Lily is determined to win. Qualifying for states on the track team is also a way she can please her father. All this plus keeping watch over Alice's mental health has triggered feelings in Lily that have her spiraling out of control.
THE WORDS WE KEEP is perfect for YA collections looking to spread the message to readers with similar feelings that they are not alone. Stewart's novel tells the gritty truth but also offers hope for living with and recovering from mental health trauma.
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