Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness

By Matt Ottley
Illustrated by Matt Ottley

The Tree of Ecstasy & Unbearable Sadness is an allegorical story of a boy's experience of psychosis, with mental illness represented as a fantastical tree whose flowers are ecstasy and whose fruit is unbearable sadness. Stunning drawings and paintings lead the reader through the boy's early discovery of his strangeness, his surrender to the disease (an all-consuming tree), the ensuing psychotic journey, and eventual self-acceptance.

Matt Ottley is an acclaimed and multiple award-winning author/illustrator who has published more than 35 books. As a composer, he has written scores for five of his own picture-books, which have been performed by orchestras and musicians across Australia. Matt has been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and creates this book from his personal experience with psychosis. This book comes with a CD recording and download link of Matt Ottley's symphony, which forms part of this multi-modal work.