Family history with mental health inspires Sudbury author’s book

Sudbury author Michelle Brunette has written her first book, The Burden of Loving a Broken Mind, and she says it is very personal.

A Sudbury author has written her first book and she says it is very personal.

Michelle Brunette’s book, The Burden of Loving a Broken Mind, is a story about mental health and mental illness, which she said is a topic near and dear to her heart.

“It’s a story that was inspired by my parent’s relationship, and what our family went through,” said Brunette.

“It was a story in my mind for a very long time, but I never had the actual courage to write it. I always told my family growing up that someone needs to write a book about what we went through.”

Brunette said it’s a story about love and tragedy. It has a big component of mental health and mental health awareness.

“The two main characters in the book, Wallace and Jen, are fictional, however, they are inspired by my parents and the struggles they went through, along with those of our family,” she said.

Highs and lows

Brunette’s father was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he started dating her mother in the 1980s.

“His mental illness did impact their relationship significantly during his highs and lows,” she said.

“There were a lot of positive things in their relationship, but also a lot of negatives because of how much he suffered.”

Brunette said the mental health of one of the main characters in the book not only impacts him but strains his entire support system.

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“Yes, it is very important for people to seek help and reach out to someone if they’re struggling,” she said.

“But also the loved ones of those people need to look at themselves and take care of their own well-being.”

Brunette said the biggest message she wants to leave by writing this book is that mental health matters -- and you are not alone.

It might feel very isolating, but she said mental health struggles are more common than we realize.