In Harmony by Emma Scott

Emma Scott has yet AGAIN totally captured my heart and mind with her incredible writing, and pulled me into a book so completely that my world ceased to exist during the time it took me to finish. 

That is not hyperbole. 

In Harmony tells the story of Willow, a teenage girl carrying the weight of a traumatic experience, unable to trust in the people around her. Her parents don't notice her pain, and in fact, they castigate her for it. She is increasingly withdrawn, and doesn't think that she'll ever feel whole again. 

Until. 

"He looked at me like he could see me."

She meets Isaac at school, and they both audition for--and get roles in-- the town theatre's production of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Issac carries his own burdens, and feels similarly isolated in his existence. Although Issac's problems are different than Willow's, he too is just getting by and waiting for his chance to escape. 

As their friendship  love develops while working on a play together, they begin to break down each other's walls and build each other back up in the most beautiful way. 

"Willow made being myself bearable"

The blurb from Amazon:

"The root of all madness is an unbearable truth…

At seventeen, Willow Holloway’s life was torn apart. The happy, driven girl is gone, and she is left wracked by post-traumatic stress her body remembers even if she does not. When her father suddenly uproots the family from their posh penthouse in New York City to the tiny town of Harmony, Indiana, Willow becomes more untethered and lost under the weight of her secret. On a whim, she auditions for a part in the community theater’s production of Hamlet and unexpectedly wins the role of Ophelia—the girl who is undone by madness, and her love of Hamlet… 

Isaac Pierce is from the ‘wrong side of the tracks.’ The town bad boy. Girls pine for his attention and guys are in awe of him. That he’s an acting prodigy only adds to his charisma. Isaac utterly disappears into his characters; the stage is the only place he feels safe from his own traumatic home life. He wants nothing more than to escape to Broadway or Hollywood, and leave Harmony behind for good. 

No one can play Hamlet but Isaac, and when the director pairs him with Willow in acting class, they clash again and again—neither willing to open their hearts to anyone. But clashing leads to breaking, breaking leads to the spilling of terrible secrets, and soon Isaac and Willow find Shakespeare’s words mirroring their lives. When they are cruelly torn apart, neither know how this play will end—with madness and heartache? Or healing, love, and the discovery of who they are truly meant to be."

Like the blurb states, the characters' lives and issues sort of echo those of Hamlet and Ophelia. But not in an over-the-top obvious way. Because of what they're going through in their lives, the play gives them an outlet for their separate pain, and gives a voice to their shared emotions.

The way that Emma Scott wove the story of Hamlet and Ophelia together with the story of Willow and Isaac was brilliant. Her prose, at times, read more like poetry, which complemented the Hamlet subtext perfectly.

In a time of #MeToo, Scott tackles huge and important issues with intelligence and realism, while deftly managing to escape the "After School Special" vibe. 

And with everything that these characters have gone through, and with every way that life has tried to dim their lights, Scott has managed to bring them back to full flame in a way that you feel the brightness and warmth yourself.

"It's never too late. Those two words are the greatest, most powerful killer of hope mankind has ever invented for itself."

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. 

In Harmony is available on Kindle Unlimited and through Amazon. 

5/5 Stars. LOVED every word.