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- An Alien to Existence
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- Author: Jonathan Ark
- Reviewer: Rita Porter
- Publisher: Iceni Books, Tucson, AZ
- Format: Adult, Fiction, Paperback, 140 Pages, 2004, $12.95
- ISBN: 1587364158
- Rating: * Quill
- http://www.icenibooks.com
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- Newell was taught at a young age to believe in magic, thus creating a vast well of imagination. He began as a very religious person, but as he grew older and watched religion fall apart for him, Newell gave rein to his other beliefs, letting them mature within his mind. In his late teen years, Newell starts getting migraines that last for days, stunting his creativity. Newell spent his childhood suffering through repeated misunderstandings and punishments, because a diagnosis of his schizoaffective bipolar disorder was not done. His condition remained undiagnosed until he was almost nineteen years old.
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- Having reached 30, Newell was unable to hold down a job, get along well with people in society and fighting a battle with drug abuse and mental illness. He had hoped he was going to succeed at his art, his writing and his multimedia web designing. During this time, Newell met many women, most of whom fell in love with the honesty they perceived in his writing. But by rushing into things, he created very intense relationships that most women found threatening.
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- Newell met Heather just in this way. They bonded almost immediately, lending him the courage to get his works published. As Heather toyed with his heart, Newell pushed his writing forward, alienating his family with its publication. Newell didn't understand the difference between being understanding or being taken for granted in love. The relationship with Heather turned out to be his ticket into hell.
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- Following the life of Newell in words is as confusing as it would be in the real world. Mood swings mixed with the delusional mind trips were well placed and written in a manner that the reader is more or less as confused as the main character Newell must have been. It appears Newell often gets lost in dreamland, which is as real to him as reality is to us, or he seeks to hide away from the truth of life as most people would see it. While he had the support of his family when he was little and had a strong start in life, with the coming of age, his actions cost him that support and also cause him a lot of anguish.
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- There were not that many characters in this story to worry about seeing how well they interacted. Newell's character was strong on the mixed-up level, with few lucid moments. Getting too attached as those with unstable mental conditions are known to do, and being unable to tell when he was being taken advantage of, Newell hid from his own self. Trying to hold true to his own beliefs, Newell always sought the higher power in all things.
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- The confusion part has to be one of the hardest things to deal with while writing; Jonathan Ark did that very well. The mental issues touching around the edges of science fiction were confusing. With such few characters, the path through Newell's mind could have been a touch less cluttered with minute details. Little to no actual conversation taking place makes the story seem over-detailed.
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- I found this to be a well written story from a mental illness person's point of view, though I began the story lost and continued down that same lost path throughout the tale. Recommendable if you are wanting an insider's view to the total mass confusion of the workings of a schizophrenic-bipolar person's mind.
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