“Consumed by a Season is a work in the women’s fiction and interpersonal drama subgenres. It is intended for the mature reading audience owing to sexual situations as well as some dark subject matter pertaining to grief and mental health issues. It was penned by author Kelleen Goerlitz. At a time when the popular consensus sees parents at their happiest peak, this work explores one couple’s experience of postpartum disorder and the associated stigma and difficulties which come with reconciling their feelings. As their relationship is put to the test, they must also come to terms with their inner demons before their mental health deteriorates completely.

I always admire a work of fiction that can take on a truly heartbreaking and difficult topic and make it into a compelling and eye opening story for readers to be engrossed by, but also learn from. Author Kelleen Goerlitz certainly achieves this in her novel Consumed by a Season, where depression centered around the postpartum experience is explored with sensitivity and a raw sense of emotion that will certainly resonate with those who have experienced similar feelings during parenthood. I found the character work to be especially poignant, with prose that speaks directly to readers’ hearts and really allows you to get to know every facet of the central protagonists, their relationship, and lives before and after childbirth. Overall, this is a must-read for anyone looking for original, serious, and heartfelt fiction on the realistic struggles of parenthood and mental health difficulties.”

— K.C. Finn for readers’ Favorite

“Star Rating: 5 / 5

Consumed By A Season is a beautiful story that follows one woman's fall into postpartum depression, ultimately leaving her husband and small baby behind in this life. The author weaves a story about a man and woman who fall in love and become one anothers' best friends. They end up having a beautiful baby girl named Avery. Both the pregnancy and birth go well and the couple loves their baby. It is soon after, however, that the mother feels so overwhelmed and so helpless. She feels that she cannot take care of their baby and even calls her husband at work one day telling him that she has shaken little Avery. The husband rushes home and finds that Avery seems to be okay. But his wife is not. Soon after, the husband tells the wife that he will take the baby for the day so that she can have some time for herself. But the woman does not even know where to start. It is as if she has lost herself and doesn't know how to pull herself out of this deep dark spiraling hole she has somehow fallen into. She decides that her husband and baby are better off without her and leaves.

Consumed By A Season deals with an issue that many women face after giving birth. I know many readers will relate to both the woman and her husband. This book is written with such wonderful descriptions and details that the words melt right off the pages and into the heart of the reader. During many parts of the book, I stopped reading and just imagined how these characters were feeling. One thing I noticed immediately was that the author did not give the main characters, the man and the woman, proper names or physical descriptions. In the author's note at the end of the book, she states that this was done on purpose so that "the emphasis would not be on the characters themselves but on the experiences they are walking through." Although the story works fine without them, I felt that having names would have actually helped connect me more with these characters because names give a little bit more of a personal feel to the story. It wouldn't detract from the sympathy or empathy I felt for a character or make that character unrelatable.

Overall, this is a wonderful story that just about everyone should read. It's not just for women who may be experiencing a perinatal disorder, but also for their loved ones to help understand that there are resources out there and that they are not alone.”

— Kristi Elizabeth, Manhattan Book Review

“Star Rating: 5 / 5

Consumed by a Season describes the highs and lows of relationships and parenthood during spring, summer, fall, and winter. Instead of the seasons representing a time of the year, they serve as a symbol for a chapter in the characters’ lives. During the “spring,” a man and woman meet in a coffee shop and gradually fall in love, experiencing new beginnings. In “summer,” warm emotions are rising as the couple experiences the growth of their baby. The new mother feels as though she’s failing and falling apart, while the family dynamic is forever changed during the all-consuming season of fall. The father is left to raise his daughter independently, feeling the cold and distant sting of winter.

The story begins by giving the reader a glimpse into a single dad’s therapy session, showing the frustration, anger, and confusion he feels at having to raise his daughter by himself. The author then takes the story back ten years to when the man and women first met. Both characters are described with minimal detail, allowing the reader to imagine themselves or a loved one as the main characters. Although their connection is described in detail, their physical description, ethnicity, ages, and names are never revealed. This strategy allows the reader to become fully immersed in the emotions, thoughts, and fears of the individual character as if they are experiencing them themselves.

The story takes the reader on a tumultuous journey through the mind of a woman with postpartum depression and a single dad struggling to raise his daughter alone. After the baby arrives, she becomes even more overwhelmed with doubt. She feels desperate to connect with her child, but she feels devoured by grief and becomes disconnected from the world around her. The mother’s stress and frustration swell up one day, causing her to do something harmful to her child. She becomes sick with regret and needs to separate herself from her baby in attempt to save her family and, ultimately, herself.

As the daughter matures, she begins to have questions about her mother and longs for answers about her condition. The story ends with a beautiful revolution; the scattered dates align, important questions are answered, and the daughter is able to use her life experiences to help women in a similar situation to her mother. I could not imagine a more perfect ending to this impactful, important novel. The story is fictional, but it reads like a creatively crafted memoir. Consumed by a Season is a must-read for individuals who know someone struggling with postpartum depression or who are experiencing it themselves. The book does not romanticize this mental condition, but offers hope to those desperate for empathy and understanding.”

— Rita Long, San Francisco Book Review