Consumed by a Season

Consumed by a Season describes the highs and lows of relationships and parenthood during spring, summer, fall, and winter. Instead of the seasons representing a time of the year, they serve as a symbol for a chapter in the characters’ lives. During the “spring,” a man and woman meet in a coffee shop and gradually fall in love, experiencing new beginnings. In “summer,” warm emotions are rising as the couple experiences the growth of their baby. The new mother feels as though she’s failing and falling apart, while the family dynamic is forever changed during the all-consuming season of fall. The father is left to raise his daughter independently, feeling the cold and distant sting of winter.

The story begins by giving the reader a glimpse into a single dad’s therapy session, showing the frustration, anger, and confusion he feels at having to raise his daughter by himself. The author then takes the story back ten years to when the man and women first met. Both characters are described with minimal detail, allowing the reader to imagine themselves or a loved one as the main characters. Although their connection is described in detail, their physical description, ethnicity, ages, and names are never revealed. This strategy allows the reader to become fully immersed in the emotions, thoughts, and fears of the individual character as if they are experiencing them themselves.

The story takes the reader on a tumultuous journey through the mind of a woman with postpartum depression and a single dad struggling to raise his daughter alone. After the baby arrives, she becomes even more overwhelmed with doubt. She feels desperate to connect with her child, but she feels devoured by grief and becomes disconnected from the world around her. The mother’s stress and frustration swell up one day, causing her to do something harmful to her child. She becomes sick with regret and needs to separate herself from her baby in attempt to save her family and, ultimately, herself.

As the daughter matures, she begins to have questions about her mother and longs for answers about her condition. The story ends with a beautiful revolution; the scattered dates align, important questions are answered, and the daughter is able to use her life experiences to help women in a similar situation to her mother. I could not imagine a more perfect ending to this impactful, important novel. The story is fictional, but it reads like a creatively crafted memoir. Consumed by a Season is a must-read for individuals who know someone struggling with postpartum depression or who are experiencing it themselves. The book does not romanticize this mental condition, but offers hope to those desperate for empathy and understanding.