A writing teacher once told me that it’s difficult to write about characters experiencing depression, without depressing the reader. However, this is not the case in Jessie Stephens’ novel, Something Bad is Going to Happen. Even though we meet the protagonist, Adella, when she’s an inpatient at a psychiatric clinic, Stephens uses great dialogue and some humour to keep the reader interested and move the story along.

By 28, Adella thought she would have a fulfilling job and a loving relationship. But she has given up on her PhD, can’t hold on to her job, and is barely leaving her bedroom in her share house. And then the novel backtracks eight years and traces Adella’s journey to this point.

At 20, we see Adella falling for a guy who is clearly only interested in sleeping with her. While she is academically intelligent, she lacks emotional awareness. Her sister Lottie and friend Sophia can see this, and Stephens allows the reader even more insight. I groaned and wanted to cover my eyes at Adella’s self-destructive behaviour, but as more is revealed, Adella’s choices make sense in the context of her childhood.

Adella’s 20-something friends give the novel greater breadth, and the dialogue between them is excellent. After a family tragedy, Jake has left school for a carpentry apprenticeship but secretly longs to be an architect. Sophia is the friend who protects Adella, until that comes at a personal cost. And Adella’s sister Lottie tries valiantly to forge her own relationship, while feeling obliged to care for both her sister and her mother.

The title is ominous yet intriguing. Initially, I wondered if it referred to Adella’s mindset, or a seminal event. But I can’t give anything away! Stephens’ debut novel is an astute examination of intergenerational mental illness, and what ‘recovery’ looks like.