We read books to escape. We read to go on adventures, and to find new realities, and to witness truths that seem more real when they are captured within pages. We read to live a thousand lives and experience a thousand wonders. We read to be seen and understood. We read to see and understand ourselves in new ways. That is why it is crucial to see realistic depictions of mental health in fiction: reading these depictions allows us to face ourselves.

The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzi Lee is a prime example of a story that handles mental health in a way that reflects the truth of chronic anxiety and compulsive disorders. Each passage that dealt with anxiety was written respectfully and truthfully. Though these descriptions were often so close to reality to be triggering, they were balanced with enough light not to make the overall story feel overly dark.

Following Adrian Montague, a lordling who discovers he has two older siblings after the tragic death of his mother, The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks features poignant mental health discoveries, family relationships, pirates, politics, and enough humor to fill a stand-up comedy routine. The novel centers around a hunt for a mysterious spyglass owned by Adrian’s dead mother, which eventually leads him to his long-lost brother Monty. Though this is technically the third and final novel in the Montague Siblings Trilogy, the books can be read out of order, though it is easier to start with The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue.

In the pseudo-historical 18th century, the political climate of London was paired well with slices of the rest of the world, from Amsterdam to Rabat. Though this novel is technically not historical fiction (it deviates strongly from actual historical occurrences), the setting and the story still read like an early adventure book. The witty dialogue and easy writing allowed The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks to fly by, with hundreds of pages disappearing in a matter of hours.

Beyond the excellent writing, the portrayal of family relationships and anxiety really set this book apart. Adrian suffers from a
severe form of chronic anxiety paired with obsessive-compulsive disorder, though the modern terms for these challenges are not used until the author’s note at the end of the book. The author did a fantastic job of creating a character with traits aside from mental health disorders, while building relationships around Adrian that were supportive. While other books unsuccessfully deal with this issue by ignoring it, there was never a moment where Adrian mysteriously overcame his anxiety, nor did it ever stop being important because the plot dictated that it was trivial.

The sibling relationships between Monty, Felicity, and Adrian were a delight to read about. Each sibling had more than their fair share of issues, but they found ways to understand and support one another despite it. Monty and Adrian had an exceptional bond that jumped off the page, and though they had almost two decades between them, their relationship was vibrant and alive. All the characters in The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks had defined personalities, each with complex backstories and relationships. Overall, I could not have asked for a better end to this trilogy or a better book to deal with chronic anxiety. The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks is not a novel that is easy to forget, nor one that dissolves into blurred letters once the final chapter is done.