The Fragility of Light

Introducing "The Fragility of Light," Heather S. Lonczak's debut novel-a poignant exploration of mental health, resilience, and the enduring power of familial bonds.

Sunny Zielinski is a beautiful and talented young woman with a promising future. A recent college graduate, Sunny has landed her dream job as a book editor and is soon to be married. Her close-knit family is her strength, particularly her fiercely loving grandparents-Holocaust survivors who helped to raise her.

Following two major losses, Sunny finds herself becoming unhinged. When she experiences her first psychotic break, she is plunged into a place of profound fear and confusion. As her delusions, hallucinations, and mood symptoms take over, Sunny traverses a harrowing journey into the depths of madness. Underlying her despair is the devastating delusion that she is being hunted by the Nazis.

As Sunny attempts to navigate her symptoms, she vacillates between understanding that she has a mental illness and being convinced that the doctors are conspiring against her. Adding to the narrative are Sunny's relationships with her devoted family, her nebulous history with her mother, and the colorful and often tragic patients she meets along the way. Ultimately, love, determination, and hope emerge as salient aspects of Sunny's recovery as she struggles to find her way out of the darkness.