Leanne Toshiko Simpson’s debut novel, Never Been Better is a romantic comedy with a twist. More than a fun romp, the story is an invitation to walk beside Dee Foster and her friends, Matt and Misa, as they struggle to navigate life ‘outside’ the psych ward. When Dee leaves the hospital and is confronted by the realities of life of having no savings and not feeling well enough to work, she moves in with her sister Tilley. Dee has bipolar disorder, and like her friends, she feels shame about her mental health diagnosis and now, a year after discharge, the thin veneer of, I’ve Never Been Better, has begun to crack for them all.

The story opens with Dee’s sister Tilley, throwing darts at Matt and Misa’s invitation to their destination wedding in the Turks and Caicos. The last thing Dee wants to see is Matt’s face, her Matt, “burly in his ink-blue shirt” with “…his arms wrapped around Misa,” staring at her from the now-pockmarked invitation. When Matt had said “You’re a goddam survivor Dee. Don’t forget it.”, Dee was hooked. “How could I not love someone who believed in me that much?”

The three friends held each other up in the psych ward and after discharge, continued to meet weekly to support each other. But this trio of support and Dee’s secret hope that Matt would choose her, was crushed when the engagement was announced on social media. Tilley’s reaction was, “You need ice cream, stat.” but when she leaves the room, Dee sneaks out and finds her way to the overpass bridge that crosses the main highway in Scarborough. Looking back, Dee remembers thinking, “I didn’t want to jump, really. I wouldn’t let myself get that far. But I did want to dive into the heart of the noise, let it overcome all the incessant buzzing in my head. I placed my hands on the railing, Preparing to hoist myself over the edge.”

This incident is one of many where Tilley comes to Dee’s rescue. Younger by three years, Tilley protects Dee like a mama bear. She is on a mission, though messy at times, to care for her big sis. She is brash, loud and often drunk and inappropriate. Her antics are funny, sometimes cringe-worthy, as she tries to keep Dee on course, and healthy. When Tilley bullies Matt into including her as Dee’s plus-one to the wedding (the only way Dee will go), the pair plan to derail the wedding. With the three friends and their families all together, the burden of keeping secrets is too heavy to bare. Simpson shows that mental health of one family member effects everyone. Misa’s family is in denial of her diagnosis and “Most of the guests only know half the story, …Misa didn’t even tell her family where they really met.” As a result, she struggles to hide her illness by doing what is expected of her and the pressure to perform, to be everything her parents and Matt’s mother want her to be, becomes too much for Misa.

Matt’s father has died suddenly and though never close to his father, Matt is set off kilter and feels he lost any chance of resoling their relationship. Matt says, “I used to think that when he passed, I’d stop feeling so weighed down. So when I didn’t feel anything at all, I started to thinking, did the meds take that away from me?” Matt goes off his meds but hides it from his family, from Misa and Dee, and he is barley functioning.

Simpson has woven several other likable and insightful characters to help strengthen the story. One is Misa’s grandmother, who sees and understands truth. Her wisdom is the catalyst that breaks the cycle of secrets. This love is reflected in Simpson’s dedication of the novel to her own obachan.

Simpson has captured the theme and mood of each chapter will a telling playlist as chapter headings such as, “Time To Pretend”- MGMT (4:19), Back In Your Head – Tegan and Sara (3:00),” and “You Know I’m No Good.” – Amy Winehouse (4:16). Simpson’s choice of song references is evocative and sets the mood and it is worth the reader listening to these tunes. The author has effectively told of Dee’s time in hospital and the subsequent year ‘out’, in italicized segments throughout the story, supplying the reader with the backstory to of Dee’s bipolar disorder and her relationship with Misa and Matt.

This book is about the importance of love in all its iterations. The protective mama-bear love of a sister, the fierce love for friends, the love of two women—one who is Misa’s cousin who sees and knows Dee for who she truly is—and of Misa’s Obachan, whose love is equal parts traditional and unconditional. Dee, Matt and Misa learn that they do not need to choose love over recovery, and that is not worth risking losing the bond the three share.

Simpson has navigated the shark invested waters of mental health with a humorous, tender touch. This poignant and at times raucous ride gives insight into the lives of people struggling with their mental health, highlights the importance of love and support and of lifting the veil of shame.

Leanne Toshiko Simpson is a mixed-race Yonsei writer who lives with bipolar disorder. Named Scarborough’s Emerging Writer and nominated for the Journey Prize, she co-founded a reflective writing program at Canada’s largest mental health hospital and teaches at the University of Toronto. Never Been Better is her debut novel.

Leanne Toshiko Simpson appears in the Sunday BookTalk and Breakfast on Oct. 20. Tickets are available now. Visit whistlerwritersfest.com.

Review is by Libby McKeever. McKeever is a retired youth librarian who is an avid reader and writer of both fiction and creative non-fiction.