The Down Days

"In the aftermath of a deadly outbreak bearing similarities to the Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic, a city at the tip of Africa is losing its mind-complete with hallucinations, paranoia, and good old-fashioned ghost sightings. Is it the result of secret government experiments, an episode of mass hysteria, the effects of trauma, a sign of the end times? In a quarantined city in which the inexplicable has already occurred, rumors, superstitions, and conspiracy theories abound. In these strange days, Faith works as a full-time corpse collector and a freelance truthologist, putting together disparate pieces of information to solve others' problems. But after Faith agrees to help an orphaned girl find the girl's abducted baby brother, she begins to wonder whether the boy is even real. Meanwhile, Sans, a ponyjacker in the human hair trade, is so distracted by a glimpse of his dream woman that he lets a bag of money he owes his gang partners go missing-leaving him desperately searching for both and soon questioning his own sanity. Over the course of a single week, the paths of Faith, Sans, and a cast of other hustlers-including a data dealer, a drug addict, a sin eater, and a hyena man-will cross and intertwine as they move about the city, looking for lost souls, uncertain absolution, and answers that may not exist. Part ghost story, part whodunit, part palimpsest, THE DOWN DAYS is a rollicking exploration of the mutability of memory, the subjectivity of perception, and the notion that truth is ultimately in the eye of the beholder"--

“I didn't feel like I was reading this novel—I felt like I was living it.” —Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House From award-winning author Asali Solomon, The Days of Afrekete is a tender, surprising novel of two women at midlife who rediscover themselves—and perhaps each other, inspired by Mrs. Dalloway, Sula, and Audre Lorde's Zami Liselle Belmont is having a dinner party. It seems a strange occasion—her husband, Winn, has lost his bid for the state legislature—but what better way to thank key supporters than a feast? Liselle was never sure about her husband becoming a politician, never sure about the limelight, never sure about the life of fundraising and stump speeches. Then an FBI agent calls to warn her that Winn might be facing corruption charges. An avalanche of questions tumbles around her: Is it possible he’s guilty? Who are they to each other; who have they become? How much of herself has she lost—and was it worth it? And just this minute, how will she make it through this dinner party? Across town, Selena Octave is making her way through the same day, the same way she always does—one foot in front of the other, keeping quiet and focused, trying not to see the terrors all around her. Homelessness, starving children, the very living horrors of history that made America possible: these and other thoughts have made it difficult for her to live an easy life. The only time she was ever really happy was with Liselle, back in college. But they’ve lost touch, so much so that when they ran into each other at a drugstore just after Obama was elected president, they barely spoke. But as the day wears on, memories of Liselle begin to shift Selena’s path. Inspired by Mrs. Dalloway and Sula, as well as Audre Lorde’s Zami, Asali Solomon’s The Days of Afrekete is a deft, expertly layered, naturally funny, and deeply human examination of two women coming back to themselves at midlife. It is a watchful celebration of our choices and where they take us, the people who change us, and how we can reimagine ourselves even when our lives seem set.

A collection of quips, quotes and anecdotes to bring a little cheer.

Abby is ecstatic about her family's plans for a vacation in Paris. But when they get there, it's more of the same old thing: her siblings fighting non-stop, with nobody able to agree on so much as where to eat dinner. Abby feels a connection to the city, though -- after all, it's the home of many famous writers. So she decides to take matters into her own hands...and go off on an adventure of her own.

This isn't a self-help book. But I hope it will support you anyway. Beginning as a therapeutic exercise that was never supposed to be read by anyone else, the Down Days blog attracted readers from across the globe with its blunt, honest and poignant description of what it's really like to live as a creative with depression and anxiety. Down Days tells it like it is; breakdowns, anxiety loops, awkward social situations, out-of-touch doctors and perceptive counsellors; what it feels like to lose everything, including yourself, and how it changes you. But this book also proves that you can make it through, and that you aren't alone. Filled with pop culture references and dark humour, Down Days is an essential read whether you live with mental health issues or love someone who does.

This isn't a self-help book. But I hope it will support you anyway. Beginning as a therapeutic exercise that was never supposed to be read by anyone else, the Down Days blog attracted readers from across the globe with its blunt, honest and poignant description of what it's really like to live as a creative with depression and anxiety. Down Days tells it like it is; breakdowns, anxiety loops, awkward social situations, out-of-touch doctors and perceptive counsellors; what it feels like to lose everything, including yourself, and how it changes you. But this book also proves that you can make it through, and that you aren't alone. Filled with pop culture references and dark humour, Down Days is an essential read whether you live with mental health issues or love someone who does.