The Trick is to Keep Breathing

In 'The Trick is to Keep Breathing', Janice Galloway takes us into the mind of drama teacher Joy Stone, as she struggles with mental illness following the death of her lover, Michael.

Joy Stone searches for meaning and identity in the face of mental illness. Other characters are seen through Joy’s eyes and in relation to how they support, fail to support or take advantage of her.

Alienation, female identity, misogyny, mental health and bereavement are explored through Joy's experience. Janice Galloway also used motifs that symbolically reflect her themes throughout the novel.

The settings are bleak and reflect Joy's inner struggle and depression. They also suggest that Joy has been marginalised by society.

Janice Galloway writes in the first person to give the reader immediate access to Joy's thoughts. A range of techniques capture different aspects of Joy's experience and her fractured thinking.