Sasha struggles with anxiety. He even has a name for it - the Gray. It describes the cloudy, misty emotional and physical feelings he gets when it overtakes him. The end result is often a sort of collapse, sometimes vomiting, and sometimes a rage which causes him to strike out. The day Jeremy bullied Sasha for the last time was the day Sasha used his algebra textbook to bash Jeremy in the face. It was also the day Sasha's parents decided to send him to stay with his aunt for a month.
Sasha remembers visits to his aunt's in the past. Her house is in the woods. There will be plenty of space and time to explore and hopefully escape the Gray. His therapist believes leaving video games and internet surfing behind for a month will reduce the stress and therefore reduce the Gray.
If only his uncle was there to help Sasha adjust. He knows his uncle also experienced the Gray, but now he's dead. Sasha will have to make do with remembered stories, the remains of wildlife carvings scattered by his uncle throughout the garden and surrounding woods. Visiting favorite spots also give Sasha a bit of comfort.
When his aunt arranges for Sasha to work at a local farm, he discovers the horses, especially one named Duke, help him relax. He also meets Eli. They work together and a tense friendship develops. It seems Sasha is not the only one struggling with inner demons. Will spending time away from the life he knows in the city help Sasha tame the Gray? Can he change in a way that will give his parents confidence that he can return home better able to handle life's stresses?
Author Chris Baron takes on anxiety and depression in this unique tale. Sasha's detailed description of what he feels when the Gray takes hold may help readers understand and relate to the anxiety felt by many. Baron also includes details of how Sasha uses breathing techniques and visualizations to calm his anxious feelings.
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