Even the Darkness has Stars
What happens when life feels too heavy to carry?
When her best friend leaves, her mother walks away, and high school becomes one disappointment after another, Margot creates a way to shut out the pain. But the more she tries to escape her feelings, the more she loses herself.
A powerful upper YA novel about mental health, family, grief, healing, and finding hope when everything seems impossible.
"Luminous, heartfelt, and deeply captivating, Elana Segal's novel, Even the Darkness Has Stars, is a moving celebration of mental resilience and hope. Segal's debut novel is a must-read for anyone who has ever needed a reminder that they aren't alone."
Steven Barwin—author of No Known Address
"By turns disturbing, darkly humourous and just plain fun, Even the Darkness Has Stars captures teenage desperation beautifully. As she stares down the barrel of her fifteenth birthday, heroine Margot Mason navigates loss, loneliness and the dubious solace of self-harm. You’ll be rooting for her from page one."
Alissa York—author of Far Cry
TIPS FOR STRUGGLING TEENS AND PARENTS:
Everybody struggles. You are not alone.
Even if you feel like you are the only one, you definitely aren't because it is part of the human condition to struggle.
Tell someone.
Even if you start with just a few words like, "I'm not feeling okay," that is an important start.
Detect.
Even if you're not sure, if you detect concerning changes in someone, check in with them.
Help really does exist.
Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868., CAMH 1 800 463-2338, your family doctor.
Supportive listening.
Even if you think you know what's wrong, listen and let the person tell you what's going on for them.
Even The Darkness Has Stars
Even if things feel very dark, and it is initially hard to find your way forward, the light of the stars is always out there.
**If you or someone you know is struggling, there is help out there:
Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868
CAMH 1 800 463-2338
sioutreach.org
OTHER PUBLICATIONS:
Rachel Goldberg Polin on Fiddler's Roof
Times of Israel, June 23, 2026
Octogenarian
Bright Flash Literary Review, May 2026
And it Was Good
Chthonic Lit Winter 2026 Vol. 1 Issue 2
Hanging on a Cliff
Transition Magazine Fall /Winter 2025/26
Forward Go
Of the Book, September 2025
Harachaman
Judith Magazine, September 2025
Ole
Everyday Fiction, January 2024
BIO
Elana Shira Segal is a writer living in Toronto, Canada. Her debut novel, Even the Darkness has Stars is published with Canadian publisher Evernight Teen. In addition to writing, Elana has worked as a therapist for three decades. She has worked in private practice as well as at the Toronto District School Board, various private schools in the GTA and community agencies. In her spare time, she is also an amateur ceramacist.
Elana is passionate about words and finding just the right turn of phrase to capture a moment or a feeling. As a therapist, she has spent her life working with people to help them understand the narratives that inform their lives. Through writing, she creates and imagines the lives of her characters and shapes their narratives into meaningful, impactful stories.
