Friday Reads: Sugar Crash by Elena Aitken

Sugar Crash is by local author, Elena Aitken.  You may recall I reviewed her first book, Nothing Stays in Vegas, several months ago.  

Darci is a widow and mother to almost teenaged Taylor. When Taylor suddenly becomes a much different kid than usual, alarm bells go off for Darci and she rushes her to hospital where she is diagnosed with diabetes.  Sugar Crash is a tale of coping and acceptance.  Of dealing with the misconceptions and intolerance of others and, above all, in coming to terms with doing what you can and learning to ask for help.  I should probably also mention that there is a man in there...a lovely, sweet man who might be just the thing Darci needs after so many years alone...

I really loved this story of a mother's love.  It is a light read on a heavy topic and only took me a couple of hours to finish.  The story is an important one, though, and showcases the trials and tribulations that can come from a diagnosis like this coming down on an unsuspecting family.  This book was a special labour of love for Aiken, as she wrote based on the inspiration of a real-life friend who is living with the disease and it is immediately apparent in the care that was taken in telling Darci's story. 

Another thing it brings light to is a program that is probably not on the radar of most people outside of the running community - Team Diabetes.  In the story, Darci rallies a small town around a common cause and encourages people to sign up for a Team Diabetes race.  Having been a participant with Team in Training, I think Aitken captured the emotion that comes from a race of this calibre and significance.  More than once, as she wrote about the race, I felt tears welling behind my eyes.

Sugar Crash is available for Kindle and a portion of the sale of each book will go to support Diabetes research.