Ode to Joy
The story of four Victorians who struggle with mental illnesses yet to be diagnosed. Unlike today there are no proper treatments for their ailments and the problems they pose are pinned to their personality flaws and life. But like today, there is little understanding for what ails them and the love and support of family and friends prove to be their salvation.
Meet Lord Orion Hookwell, the eccentric earl who has spent his life in and out of asylums. Adjusting to the idea of being a father and a secret “sodomite” he must find ways of coping with his cyclical mania and depression. He thinks he may have found his quirky, supportive wife Bri’s long lost child but reuniting the women proves to be more difficult than he at first estimates. Brigid, meanwhile, deals with badly timed flashbacks of her youth in British-owned India. When she cannot shake these flashbacks she begins to wonder if she is as mad as her husband. Their family friends Charles and Lucy Arteberry have baggage of their own. Captain Charles Arteberry, proud alcoholic and libertine is deteriorating before his family and friends’ eyes and Lucy must piece him back together by re-exploring his past and his grief for their shared beloved Fonso. While Charles is slowly dismissed as an immoral and cruel man, Lucy stays by his side. But Lucy has demons of her own. Every winter she is taken with a deep melancholy. But will anyone believe that their rock, the cheery and talented Lucy, could feel such lows. Together they are working toward a huge production to fund a women’s shelter in London. Will Bri and her long lost daughter be reunited? Will Charles dismiss the secret human traffic his ships now support? Will Orion, for the first time in his life, check himself into an asylum for the good of his family and friends?
This will be a serial novel. Meaning while it will be quality it is also written while being published. A character guide and other useful information will be handy on this blog for your viewing pleasure and use.
Everything is (c) 2012 Luz Briar. No stealing.
Ah, yes! The beginning of this summary reminded me of the conversation we had on WattPad about a year back about how during the Victorian Era, mental illnesses weren't as understood as they are now; people just thought they were possessed or crazy.
ReplyDeleteYes! Exactly! And that it was a moral failing that led to it. (Which we cannot say doesn't happen today. o.O). It's going to have plenty of humor in it too so it shall be a fun ride!
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