It’s rare that I come across a novel that changes my vitality and conquers my mind, sanity and senses. Yet, Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake did just that. No words can do this book justice. “So when people say we’re alone in the ether?” “Alone in everything. In time and space, in existence, in religion.” Could a book truly make you feel incompletely complete?
Alone With You in the Ether is a modern-age love story set in Chicago, Illinois. Regan and Aldo meet by a fluke at the Art institute. Regan is bipolar, a compulsive liar and a self-sabotaging artist. Aldo is an anti-social, clinically depressed doctoral professor that spends his time exercising his mind with formulas and calculations about time travel.
Unlike other romance novels, the characters in Alone With You in the Ether are the plot. They are the recurring themes that seal the novel. For Regan and Aldo, the sense of inevitability constitutes their characters. Besides their broken mentality, Regan’s artistic and conversational persona and Aldo’s theoretical and philosophical facade concoct the story to achieve one goal — love. We, the readers, see their journey towards love as they confront their mental states and define clashing charismas.
Olivie Blake creates a new genre of literature, a new trope if you will: To love as if you’re not broken, using mental health as a subject of romance. Likewise, a favorite quote of mine from Regan explains the associations flawlessly: “Can you love my brain even when it is small? When it is malevolent? When it is violent? Can you love it even when it does not love me?”
Alone With You in the Ether takes two neurodivergent characters and portrays romance through a different lens. It wouldn’t be a deception to say that romance in literature is not diverse enough. Mental health is always shown as a hindrance to romance rather than an endeavor to elevate love. Considering the novel is set in the modern age, expecting those modern complexities in society is a minimal expectation. People want to read about someone trying to love despite their mental health intervening or about somebody who tries to attain self-love despite their cognitive state. These books will later showcase our generation and indicate that love is a practice and not a fantasy.