Your Blue Is Not My Blue

A Missing Person Memoir

By: Aspen Matis

Narrated by: Susannah Jones

From Aspen Matis, author of the acclaimed true story Girl in the Woods, comes a bold and atmospheric memoir of a woman who - in searching for her vanished husband - discovers deeper purpose.

Aspen’s and Justin’s paths serendipitously aligned on the Pacific Crest Trail when both were walking from Mexico to Canada, separately and alone - both using thru-hiking in hopes of escaping their pasts. Both sought to redefine themselves beneath the stars. By the time they made it to the snowy Cascade Range of British Columbia - the trail’s end - Aspen and Justin were in love.

Embarking on a new pilgrimage the next summer, they returned to those same mossy mountains where they’d met, and they married. They built a world together, three years of a happy marriage. Until a cold November morning, when, after kissing Aspen goodbye, Justin left to attend the funeral of a close friend.

He never came back. As days became weeks, her husband’s inexplicable absence left Aspen unmoored. Shock, grief, fear, and anger battled for control - but nothing prepared her for the disarming truth. A revelation that would lead Aspen to reassess not only her own life but that of the disappeared as well.

The result is a brave and inspiring memoir of secrets kept and unearthed, of a vanishing that became a gift: a woman’s empowering reclamation of unmitigated purpose in the surreal wake of mystifying loss.

©2020 by Aspen Matis. (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Lyrics to “Come Back Here” used with permission from David Lockwood.

Too long!

I thought I would never reach the end of this book, but I was going to see it to the end. While some of the writing was done so well, I quickly got tied of all the descriptions of everything. Some of that is just great writing but when it is used so much it becomes too much!
The story line I found to be a little weak and useless.

Wordy and Self-Indulgent

The narrator had an unevan pace sometimes.

The author manages to write many words with little or elusive content. I get no feeling of character depth or development. I gave up about 1/3 of the way through. No narrative intentions had surfaced for me.

As good as I’d hoped

Her honesty and ability to see herself, even if it took a while, is admirable and inspiring. The story within the story is captivating.

a marriage of co dependence

I was very hooked on reading this story because it is well written. however the narrator is a twenty one yr old woman who meets a man while on that Pacific Crest trail and they find enough similarities of need and decide to continue the long hike together. Debbie has come to the woods to escape her past and finds her present can neatly fit in with Justin's. the problem is Justin although kind and loving has no intention of supporting a relationship if he is expected to become responsible in the typical expectation of getting a job and realignment of his own behaviors that fit his needs. Debbie aspires to be an author and Justin takes her to New York to reach her goal. Everything is fine until Debbie suggests marriage. Debbie is ok with having a husband with no ambition to get a real job until reality sets in. I felt sorry for Debbie and at times for Justin . However it ends well when each realize they are better apart so real goals.

You have to hang in there with this book

1. I have not read the book this book was written about writing. By the end of this book, having read that book may or may not be important. Especially true if you find the Aspen in Parts 1 and 2 of this book immature and annoying.
2. If, for any reason, you are thinking about putting this book down for any reason before Part 3. Don't do it. Give Ms Matis a chance to tell her story on her way and her time. There are reasons for the way she portrays herself.
3. I actually love how, when writing about writing, the author's language and word choices change. In that device, you can hear how overly hard she was trying to be literary in "Girl in the Woods".
4. Good book. Not a great book. But a good book.

Appreciation of family, nature and the other

Aspen Matis provides us with a candid view of family love and of the painful events that slowly guide her towards a refreshed outlook. For the older listener it is a visit back to the struggles of young adulthood. A colorfully-written and kind memoir with lessons for us all.

Good read

This was a good read with excellent narration by Miss Jones. Sometimes the author seemed overly dramatic in her descriptions but the story was definitely genuine. I can sympathize with her as she is traumatized by a horrific experience and then she matures through her experiences. Enjoyable.

Ok. A Bit Annoying

The story is engaging and plausible. characters are round, dynamic and relatable. What I found annoying was the constant reference to what color everything is. The narrator is very good. I'd recommend just to share my criticism of the color references.

Too wordy

The story was ok. Way too wordy for me. Too much similes etc. Narration ok. Too long.

Incredible journey, I didn't want it to end!

The book kept getting better and better and I didn't want it to end.