A tale of self-determination in a world that refuses to listen.

Bowie doesn’t intend to kill his mother—he just wants to collect his social security check from her. But when she throws around words like hallucinating and tells him he’s “hearing things,” his fear is triggered, and he takes action. This event, coupled with a history of reported psychotic episodes, a gambling addiction, his sexual preference for other men, and a shimmer that whispers vile things to him, sets Bowie on a collision course with mental health professionals, the police, and the prison system.

"The shimmer seemed to follow him wherever he went. Before, he only saw it when he was 'sick', coiled in the corner of his bedroom, or standing tall and murky in a dark corner of the house, or watching him from a window when he approached. It no longer seemed to be tied to the house. It now hovered in the periphery of his sight, visible only when he cocked his head a certain way. But he could feel it there, even when he didn't see it, sometimes gold, sometimes purple, always black..."