I am not sure how to describe this book. The first word that comes to my mind is artistic. The author is artistic on many levels. She paints, she writes, she has musical talent. It felt like all of that came through in the story. It was like the author painted a story.
This is considered a memoir. Mira and her sister were raised by a schizophrenic mother. Their father left when they were children. Their mother was an amazing musician. She was very intelligent. This book starts in the early 1960's. There was not good mental health care. Shock treatments were used. One of the interesting parts of the story is to see the changes in mental health care.
The story is written through some journals of their mother. Mostly the story is about Mira and her life. How most of her life was created as a reaction to her mother's illness. It is considered a memoir. There are times Mira does not know if what she remembers really happened. Memories become blurred. What is always real is her love for her Mother. She is not always able to be with her Mother. This is not about normal life. It is about life with mental illness in it.
This is not a book everyone would enjoy. I think it would be a good book club read. Or a good discussion book. If you read it at the same time as some friends and discuss it. The discussions with this book could be great.
It was very sad for me. Terrible to see how the daughters had to cope with the way they were raised. Tragic to read how they had to cope with their mother. I read all these books and wonder why something cannot be done. So much money leaves our country to help other countries. Here at home we have mentally ill people walking the streets.
I need and want a happy book now. My reads have been on the dark side. Deep side. Looking for some happiness in a book right now!
I rate this book a 3.
No comments:
Post a Comment