Year of the Comets: A Journey from Sadness to the Stars.

JAN DEBLIEU

In this poignant and personal story, Deblieu examines both the inner space of the mind and the outer space of the cosmos, in 1996, her husband Jeff, undermined by the illness and death of his mother, began a descent into depression. At the same time, spurred by the sight of the comet Hyakutake one night, Jan Deblieu began a quiet fascination with the night sky. Her story focuses on how she came to recognize her husband's illness and how the two attempted to cope with it and save their marriage. She details how she found solace in the stars and the cosmological notion of light emerging from absolute darkness, drawing an analogy to her husband's depression. She lucidly describes the science behind the beginning and expansion of the universe, black holes, comets, and the possibility of other worlds, in her exploration, Deblieu notes that astronomy, like the study of the human mind, is a way to learn more about ourselves. But, she notes that unlike astronomy, the science of the mind and mental illness is still in its infancy. Shoemaker & Hoard, 2005, 201 p., hardcover, $23.00.