Is This a Cry for Help

By Emily Austin
** Publication Date 13 Jan 2026 **
​4 stars


Darcy is a librarian. A gay, married, blue-haired librarian. She recently went through a mental crisis brought on by her ex-boyfriend’s sudden death. Darcy has just returned to work at the library when a man watching porn on a library computer sparks a heated battle for the rights of library patrons. This combination of situations going on in Darcy’s life makes her therapy sessions rather productive.


Joy, Darcy’s wife, is very supportive. But Joy’s sister has just given birth and needs Joy with her during these early days. Darcy is going to have to navigate the current challenges in both hers and Joy’s lives long distance. 


A really lovely book about mental health and love. Darcy is truly trying to find who she is and how to process the feelings she had for her ex Ben. The background fodder of a conservative writer and protestor versus the more liberal and progressive public library brings to light a lot of issues going on in the world today. The novel brings together opposing viewpoints to perhaps teach us a bit about tolerance. 


I enjoyed this book immensely.