Review: Rapids by Anna Bowles

A valuable lesson was learned while reading Rapids: never judge a book by the first few pages. This was my mistake, and I now wholeheartedly apologise to the wonderful protagonist Yan Harris, because she did not deserve my rash judgement. Yan is a beautiful character who you are championing before you know it. The author’s portrayal of Yan’s hyper-manic state is exceptional, eye-opening and educational. Bowles gives us a character with an undiagnosed mental illness and all the while makes her an extremely lovable protagonist.

While it is a little slow to start, this book soon races along, aided by Bowles’s use of language. As the book progresses, so does Yan’s euphoria, and this is mirrored beautifully by her internal thoughts, expressed through the swift and creative language. There were aspects of the novel I previously knew nothing about, namely fandoms and online queer culture. At first, I didn’t understand that these things could be important, but I now see they are crucial. They offer Yan an alternative dynamic to her exciting life, while also educating this reader.

I had this book read in a couple of hours because of Yan. Her perspective is raw and fast: she thinks, she overthinks, she’s impulsive, and as the reader you get the joy of feeling impulsive with her. I tried to turn the pages rapidly, because Yan Harris made me! This is a novel which makes you feel euphoric and terrified all at once.

Lorna O’Dea

More information on bipolar disorder in young people can be found at www.youngminds.org and adults can find information at www.bipolaruk.org