Finding light in darkness of suicide

First time author Brenda Whitton hopes to shine light on the fragile subject of suicide in her debut novel Bureaucrazy.

The black comedy follows a thirty-something year-old in Wellington as he struggles with depression and decides to take his own life. But he soon learns death is an organisation run by bureaucrats and the way out is not that simple.

Ms Whitton, who moved to Matamata eight months ago, said she wanted to make people think about how their actions could impact on others.

‘‘ I hope it will bring awareness to how much loneliness can hurt people,’’ she said.

‘‘Maybe the person sitting right next to you is having a tough time and just asking how they are might change their lives.

‘‘We have to take the time to look out for each other.’’

Originally from Argentina, Ms Whitton spent 12 years working in IT in Wellington before moving to Matamata.

Her mother was an intensive care doctor for more than three decades, so she learned at a young age how suicide could affect people.

‘‘ My mum had lots of patients that had tried to commit suicide and I saw how devastated she was with each case,’’ said Ms Whitton.

‘‘ It’s something that affects people quite deeply, especially if it is a young person.’’ bit quirky,’’ she said.

‘‘ But the story and the characters are more important than the words I chose to use.

‘‘All the characters in my book are a part of me and a part of people I know.’’

The book is the first of a trilogy and Ms Whitton hopes to finish the second book by the end of the year.

She was also interested in documenting ghost stories in Matamata and encourages anyone with any spooky stories to contact her.

To find out how to download Bureaucrazy or for more information go to ddeath.org.