Levels to My Insanity: Unmastered by Adrianne Mouton is a story of generational trauma that plagues three women from the Dagher family in West Virginia. The story starts with Ethel Dagher, the pain she suffers from childhood abuse, loss, and mental health conditions lead her to inflict pain onto the generations that succeed her. After Ethel’s story, we follow two generations of her granddaughters, Tawny and Violet. The women both suffer from traumas of their own while still carrying pain from the generations that preceded them. The sheer hope for relief, healing, and triumph is all the Dagher women have.

A roller-coaster of emotions; Levels to My Insanity grips you from the start! The development of the characters is quick but thorough. Mouton fleshes out her characters with detailed backstories, realistic dialogue, and poetic inner monologue. The use of foreshadowing in the stories of each woman leaves you craving more. A glance towards something by one of the characters can mean so much more than what meets the eye.

The realistic atmosphere is beautiful, but at times chilling. Mouton uses nature’s beauty to artistically convey the thoughts and emotions of the characters. Stormy clouds, a magnolia tree, and the night sky represent gloom, light, and dread; these are only a few of the elements Mouton uses.

Mouton is a master of prose; she takes the English language. Her poetic approach makes you feel as if you are inside the characters’ minds and living through their pain. Compelling descriptions and poetry like sentences set the story apart from similar novels on the market.

I must state that although I loved this book, the subjects discussed weighed heavy on my heart during and after reading it. Authors often promise to deliver a breathtaking and heart-wrenching tale but only end up scratching the surface of the issues they are discussing. In the case of Levels to My Insanity, Mouton delivers this promise brutally and truthfully.

Combining all the remarkable elements I mentioned previously; realistic imagery, thorough character development, and rich prose; Adrianne Mouton has created an unforgettable novel! Levels to My Insanity: Unmastered is a work of heartbreaking literary fiction that dares to speak on topics that many authors are scared to.

Pages: 287 | ASIN: B078YFJ77X