The Truth of a Kaleidoscope Mind
Can one man reconcile his past, or will the shadows consume him?
In the oppressive silence of a 1950s Craftsman house, where the air hangs heavy with the echoes of the dead, Fredrick Michael Anderson faces an unsettling task. Tasked with preparing his late mother's home for auction, Fredrick, haunted by memories of a bitter childhood war over his gender, descends into the cellar with his loyal friend Chalsey. As they unearth relics from the past, the discovery of Fredrick's locked diary triggers a disturbing revelation.
Within the pages, secrets of his father's dark past emerge, sending shockwaves through Fredrick's fragile psyche. Unbeknownst to him, the act of breaking the diary's seal unleashes dormant spirits—some benevolent, others malevolent. Amidst the psychological shock, Fredrick grapples with Dissociative Identity Disorder, his psyche fragmenting into distinct personalities. With each revelation, the battle between good and evil intensifies within the confines of the haunted house.
As Fredrick confronts the terrifying truth of his fractured family, he must navigate the volatile terrain of his own mind. The flapper ghost's cryptic messages become a lifeline, leading him toward an understanding of the larger tapestry of his family's dark history. To survive the malevolent forces unleashed by the diary's opening, Fredrick must listen to each facet of his identity, accepting painful truths and embracing the strength within to confront the horrors that lurk both within and beyond the shadows of his late mother’s home. In this supernatural horror novel, the line between the supernatural and the psychological blurs, leaving Fredrick to grapple with the ghosts of his past, present, and an uncertain future.
⭐️ REVIEWS ⭐️
“I must say, this book is an enthralling delight. From the very beginning, you can’t wait to learn more about the two main characters. It grabs you & holds your attention all the way through…you won’t be disappointed. I really look forward to reading anything else this wonderful author, brings to the table!”
“I do want to say that I was blown away by this book and how much I was so underwhelmingly unaware of Dissociative identity disorder. I still thought it was called multiple personality disorder. Boy was I wrong. The character of Frederick Michael was so well written that for me it normalized DID and if him and I were in the same room I would have not batted a second thought at the different personalities within Frederick Michael. I loved how much I learned. The story of how Frederick Michael overcame their past and trauma was so well written I found myself crying and not wanting to put the book down until I finished it. I was rooting so hard for their success. The character of Chalsey was also super cool. I don’t want to ruin the story or spoil anything. But the ending was beautifully done. Just like the man said: It made all the difference. ❤️❤️❤️❤️”
“This book was truly a wild spooky ride! Patrick really delivered on the creepy factor with the demon and spirits that were in this book. There were so many layers to this dark and disturbing story, that in the end was wrapped up nicely. I appreciate the author inserting his own personal experience with DID. It gave us a true insight and understanding on how a person with DID feels and thinks.”
“What if what we remember is actually a lie. Brilliantly written. Sometimes you have to fall apart to become whole. I absolutely loved this book. It’s refreshing to read something that steps away from the normal.”
"The Truth of a Kaleidoscope Mind" manages to cover a lot of ground in a fast-paced manner, offering a supernatural tale of grief horror and spiritual menace. It's impressive how balanced the story is: parent-son relationships dominate the narrative with several rough and uncomfortable moments, interspersed by nice portrayals of friendship and moments of emotional support, though ultimately the author seems to eschew psychological horror in favor of a haunting house tale. I personally appreciated this very much, since I was worried the story would develop in familiar, self-indulgent ways or drown the reader in ambiguity, instead of facing the haunting head on. Thankfully, however, this is a Gothic-adjacent story, meaning that it has beautiful prose, atmospheric ambience, remains respectful towards trauma, yet its focus exceeds the supernatural and dives back into the psychological confusion of shocking revelations about oneself. This makes for an original, two-pronged story, one that combines information (I was amazed how misinformed I was about Dissociative Identity Disorder, for example) with great imagery. I recommend the book to horror fans who enjoy following this kind of insightful two-sided plottting, and who can appreciate the difficulty of one's finding closure after a haunting past trauma.”
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