Luci and Luke are identical twins who have been extremely close since birth. Their mother, Elvina is an alcoholic, and shows very little interest in anything except her beloved vodka. Their Father Jack, a school Head Teacher has been having an affair with Ruth, their best friend Alex’s mother from across the road, and has left to start a new life leaving the twins behind. Luci and Luke spend all of their time together, alone or with Alex. During an argument, Elvina looks into Luci’s eyes and Luci is startled when Elvina exclaims “You have the fire in your eyes! Just like she did!” A few hours later, Elvina is dead after jumping in front of a train. Luci is troubled by the comment, but has no idea what her mother meant by it.

 

A few years later, tragedy strikes when Luke is run over and killed during an argument with Luci. She sinks into a deep depression and for months does not leave her room. She even sleeps in Luke’s bed in an attempt to feel closer to him. Slowly she emerges from her depression, but the family are concerned when she starts behaving erratically; not sleeping for days, won’t eat and embarks on a stream of ambitious projects. All the family doctor can do is give her sedatives to help Luci sleep and the family grow increasingly frustrated with her unpredictable behaviour and moods.

At University, Luci finds love with Ben. When tragedy strikes again only weeks from their wedding day, Luci begins to feel she has been cursed. By now she is sharing a flat with Alex, and they grow increasingly closer until they realise they are in love. What should be a happy period for Luci is once again thrown into turmoil when her alternating depressive and manic episodes return. After one particularly bad episode, Alex convinces Luci to see a Doctor who recommends a period of inpatient care in a Psychiatric unit.

Ever since her mother uttered those shocking words to her, Luci has been striving to discover the secrets her mother took to her grave. A chance finding of a box of sentimental items leads her to a long lost cousin of her mother. What is the truth that she discovers? What does “fire in your eyes” mean? How will Luci’s future be affected by the revelations?

This is the emotionally charged story of living with Bipolar Syndrome. Through reading this book you will understand how Bipolar (also known as Manic Depression) can affect, not only the sufferer, but everyone around them. Martine (herself with a mental health diagnosis) has done a fantastic job of relating Luci’s journey towards a diagnosis. The highs and the lows are charted for the reader to follow. You won’t feel sympathy for Luci, but you will feel empathy, and probably admiration for what she has to endure. I found myself feeling anger towards the family GP for failing to act earlier. However it is important to remember that mental health education has come a long way since the period in which the book was set. It hasn’t come far enough yet though. There remains a lot of ignorance and discrimination towards the mentally ill, but Martine writes an enjoyable, captivating story. I couldn’t put this book down and my education of the subject matter was a very a pleasant experience indeed.