Jeffrey Killingsworth is a fourteen-year-old adolescent boy, who is already experiencing deep depression and anxiety. He and his friends from the Sunnyside Baptist Church in Dahlonega, GA, attend a church camp in Tennessee. Jeffrey and Jimmy become lost in the snowy woods after smoking some pot, but eventually make their way back to the camp. Being lost is a metaphor for Jeffrey’s adolescence in The Still Sad Music, a novel written by Shawn Merritt. He is faced with a family tragedy, and the end of his long-time friendship with Natalie Spellman. The story then shifts to his sophomore year at Georgia Institute of Technology, in Atlanta, GA. He and Jimmy remain friends as they embark on a drug-filled lifestyle. Jeffrey continues to view the world through his depressed and anxiety-filled moods. Whether he is able to cope with the challenges of life without drugs is the central focus of this novel.

Author Shawn Merritt has written a compelling and thought-provoking novel in The Still Sad Music. An in-depth understanding and knowledge of mental illness and substance addiction is competently described. Beginning with a young adolescent boy growing into early adulthood, the story illustrates the years-long struggle that many people face. The writing is well-crafted, with a good balance of narrative dialogue between characters and Jeffrey’s inner dialogue. The author engages the reader from the first page to the last. The reader becomes involved with the characters and is hopeful that Jeffrey will find peace at last. This fictional work is powerful and unforgettable - an excellent read.

In The Still Sad Music by Shawn Merritt, Jeffrey Killingsworth is different from his friends. At fourteen, he’s physically immature, constantly daydreaming and tends to goof off – unlike his older and more responsible brother, William. A church outing to a campsite at Fall Creek is supposed to be fun, but after Jeffrey’s parents drop him off, the outing proves to be anything but. Brother Rodney, their youth minister, gives Jeffrey and his friends chores to do, but Natalie Spellman, his childhood friend and adolescent crush, is going steady with the hunky Johnny Greersby, and the two seem to have eyes only for each other. While the food is cooking, Jeffrey and his best friend, Jimmy, and another guy, Mark, take off into the woods to smoke a joint Mark found. After the weed’s buzz wears off, Mark goes back to camp while Jeffrey and Jimmy stay behind a little while longer. When they finally decide to head back, the weather has worsened and they get lost. They eventually make their way to a cabin owned by a hillbilly who drives them back to camp. While Jimmy is happy to be back and embraces being the center of attention after their harrowing adventure, Jeffrey feels out of sorts, struggling with his constant anxiety and inexplicable sorrow. These feelings threaten to overwhelm him on the trip back from the camp. It isn’t until their bus returns home and Jeffrey sees his brother somberly waiting for him that he realizes something has happened and that his life will never be the same again…

The Still Sad Music by Shawn Merritt is a work of literary fiction. The title of the book, The Still Sad Music, is haunting and evocative, much like Merritt’s main protagonist. The author has created a tragic figure in the form of Jeffrey Killingsworth. From a young age, Jeffrey has struggled with trying to express any form of happiness or joy and is unable to prevent himself from slipping into his constant state of melancholy and anxiety, precursors to the mental illness and drug addiction that eventually claim him. It’s not easy to maintain the necessary balance between narrative and dialogue while writing about things that torture the mind and soul, yet Merritt does so admirably. While there are the odd spelling mistakes here and there, these don’t take away from this excellent and moving story as a whole. A life that doesn’t live up to its full potential is a tragedy and The Still Sad Music is sure to leave a resounding echo in readers's minds long after the last page has been read.