Book Review: Anxious Anna & the Souls by Daye Williams

Remember my review of Death Train? Well, I’m back with another short story review from Daye Williams. A different sort of story but great nonetheless.

Blurb

Anxious Anna & the Souls by Daye Williams

Anxious Anna & the Souls is a brighter tale & expansive story with stronger themes of Spirituality & Existentialism. Anna is a young girl who is brought to a strange omnipresent reality on her 8th birthday when the fears of growing up & becoming an adult have her wish to escape Mortality. Within the plane she comes across a strange old man who task her with settling the inner crisis within the 3 mega colossus who bind the universe together. “ANXIOUS ANNA & THE SOULS” explores themes of Non-Existence,  Accession, as well all of the Anxieties that come from Fear of the Unknown, Fear of Losing Childhood & Fear of Failure.

Review

This is an eye-opener of a story for two major reasons. One is that it shows us that the very young aren’t exempt from anxiety. I think this is very important. Often we dismiss children’s worries as just being, well, childish. When we dismiss these worries, in essence we are dismissing the child and leading them to believe that their feelings are not worthy of being discussed. Bad move. This leads me onto the second reason I enjoyed Anxious Anna & the Souls.

It reminds us that our childhood matters and what happens during those formative years can stick with us and cause problems in adulthood. Admittedly, I was one of those people who dismissed the whole inner child thing. But the more I read into it and explored it for myself, the more I realised how right the theory is. I know for one that things that stuck with me as a child now make problems for me as an adult but considering I am aware, I can deal with them. I’m sure I’m not the only person who carries baggage from their youth.

I could go on to write another paragraph about the writing style and the characters, which are good, but that shouldn’t be the reason you read this book. You should read it to better understand anxiety in children. The difference it will make in you will help you make a difference in the lives of others.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.