I’ve been wanting to reread my books about tea but I needed a palate cleanser after Brave Story. So I ended up reading The Illustrated Mum (I’ve been meaning to read the Sarah Dessen novels I own but I haven’t been feeling it) and it actually has a lot of similarities to Brave Story.

Well, some similarities. Both Dolphin and Wataru are in deeply dysfunctional homes, but while Wataru wanted nothing more than to change everything, Dolphin wants everything to stay the same. It’s her sister, Star, who is discontent and wants a normal life.

This is a book that I’ve reread quite a few times over the years and I knew it was dark, but wow this was dark. Marigold, the illustrated Mum, has bipolar disorder, something which is clear to the reader but pretty much unknown to the girls until the end of the book. All they know is that their mum is sometimes down, sometimes up, sometimes very fun, and sometimes absolutely scary.

When I was younger, I remember thinking that Marigold seemed pretty fun (like Dolphin’s friend Oliver!) and her breakdown was frightening. Now, the signs that Marigold is rather unstable are very clear and I find myself empathising with older sister Star a lot more – all she wants is to be normal after years of having to act as the parent to her mother and younger sister. It’s a heavy responsibility and one that she absolutely doesn’t want (and shouldn’t have to shoulder).

But sympathetic as Star was, Dolphin was definitely the perfect main character and narrator for the book. She loves both her sister and her mother and her eyes are blinded just enough that Marigold comes across as a magical mum until she can no longer ignore the truth. Her story is powerful and even though I’ve reread this many times, I still feel her fear very strongly.

I think I’ll reread Lola Rose first before going on to the books about tea, unless something else catches my fancy!