Written in vivid micro fiction with a stream of consciousness feel and multimedia elements, The Wicker King explores a codependent friendship fraught with madness, love, and darkness.
When August learns that his best friend, Jack, shows signs of degenerative hallucinatory disorder, he is determined to help Jack cope. Jack’s vivid and long-term visions take the form of an elaborate fantasy world layered over our own - a world ruled by the Wicker King. As Jack leads them on a quest to fulfill a dark prophecy in this alternate world, even August begins to question what is real and what is not.
August and Jack struggle to keep afloat as they teeter between fantasy and their own emotions. In the end, each must choose his own truth.
My mom once told me that being alone makes you feel weaker every day, even if you’re not. But it’s not as bad if you’re with other people who are alone, too.
I'm very biased now. Going into this, I did not know just how much it would deal with themes of mental illness and mental health.
But I will say that the depiction was adequate and I walked away from this better than I thought I would have.
