by Russell Webster ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 13, 2016
Lacks momentum as a novel but delivers an enlightening examination of the mental maladies that plague many.
A fact-based fictional tale presents readers with a gallery of psychological ailments that the characters must confront.
Guy is a prosperous entrepreneur with a side job as a therapist. His clients and friends seem to have only one thing in common: issues. There’s Martha, the elderly woman who for years has lived with regret and a lack of purpose; Gerry, a spirited millionaire who endures the ups and downs of bipolar disorder; and Jennifer, encountering a crisis at work and having an affair with a woman that her husband doesn’t know about. One client in particular, James, seems to be a mirror of Guy, having experienced a traumatic childhood that included his parents’ separation, an abusive boarding school, and molestation by a trusted teacher. Meanwhile, Guy copes with his own predicament as his relationship with his wife deteriorates, culminating in their separation and threatening his treasured relationships with his sons. He is suddenly faced with the bitter reality that he must choose between staying in London, an environment in which he thrives, and remaining close to his sons, who reside in a different city. The final section of the book details Guy’s recovery as he seeks to find balance in his life. Throughout the novel, the plot follows Guy’s psychological state in the usual pattern of exposition, rising action, climax, and resolution; however, the flow is somewhat slow-going, pausing to give more attention to secondary characters and their struggles. Fortunately, Guy’s eventual recovery prevents the story from sinking into despair. With this heartening development, Webster (The Seven Secrets Revealed, 2016, etc.) wraps up the tale in a way that is both practical and motivational. Many readers will likely realize that they are not alone in the obstacles they discover in life. Additionally, some may feel psychologically lifted knowing that, compared to the characters in this yarn, their lives aren’t nearly as chaotic as they thought.
Lacks momentum as a novel but delivers an enlightening examination of the mental maladies that plague many.Pub Date: June 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5334-0896-9
Page Count: 370
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
More by Russell Webster
BOOK REVIEW
by Glennon Doyle ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2020
Doyle offers another lucid, inspiring chronicle of female empowerment and the rewards of self-awareness and renewal.
Awards & Accolades
Likes
26
Our Verdict
GET IT
New York Times Bestseller
IndieBound Bestseller
More life reflections from the bestselling author on themes of societal captivity and the catharsis of personal freedom.
In her third book, Doyle (Love Warrior, 2016, etc.) begins with a life-changing event. “Four years ago,” she writes, “married to the father of my three children, I fell in love with a woman.” That woman, Abby Wambach, would become her wife. Emblematically arranged into three sections—“Caged,” “Keys,” “Freedom”—the narrative offers, among other elements, vignettes about the soulful author’s girlhood, when she was bulimic and felt like a zoo animal, a “caged girl made for wide-open skies.” She followed the path that seemed right and appropriate based on her Catholic upbringing and adolescent conditioning. After a downward spiral into “drinking, drugging, and purging,” Doyle found sobriety and the authentic self she’d been suppressing. Still, there was trouble: Straining an already troubled marriage was her husband’s infidelity, which eventually led to life-altering choices and the discovery of a love she’d never experienced before. Throughout the book, Doyle remains open and candid, whether she’s admitting to rigging a high school homecoming court election or denouncing the doting perfectionism of “cream cheese parenting,” which is about “giving your children the best of everything.” The author’s fears and concerns are often mirrored by real-world issues: gender roles and bias, white privilege, racism, and religion-fueled homophobia and hypocrisy. Some stories merely skim the surface of larger issues, but Doyle revisits them in later sections and digs deeper, using friends and familial references to personify their impact on her life, both past and present. Shorter pieces, some only a page in length, manage to effectively translate an emotional gut punch, as when Doyle’s therapist called her blooming extramarital lesbian love a “dangerous distraction.” Ultimately, the narrative is an in-depth look at a courageous woman eager to share the wealth of her experiences by embracing vulnerability and reclaiming her inner strength and resiliency.
Doyle offers another lucid, inspiring chronicle of female empowerment and the rewards of self-awareness and renewal.Pub Date: March 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0125-8
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
Share your opinion of this book
More About This Book
PROFILES
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
by Matt Haig ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 2016
A vibrant, encouraging depiction of a sinister disorder.
A British novelist turns to autobiography to report the manifold symptoms and management of his debilitating disease, depression.
Clever author Haig (The Humans, 2013, etc.) writes brief, episodic vignettes, not of a tranquil life but of an existence of unbearable, unsustainable melancholy. Throughout his story, presented in bits frequently less than a page long (e.g., “Things you think during your 1,000th panic attack”), the author considers phases he describes in turn as Falling, Landing, Rising, Living, and, finally, simply Being with spells of depression. Haig lists markers of his unseen disease, including adolescent angst, pain, continual dread, inability to speak, hypochondria, and insomnia. He describes his frequent panic attacks and near-constant anhedonia, the inability to experience pleasure. Haig also assesses the efficacy of neuroscience, yoga, St. John’s wort, exercise, pharmaceuticals, silence, talking, walking, running, staying put, and working up the courage to do even the most seemingly mundane of tasks, like visiting the village store. Best for the author were reading, writing, and the frequent dispensing of kindnesses and love. He acknowledges particularly his debt to his then-girlfriend, now-wife. After nearly 15 years, Haig is doing better. He appreciates being alive and savors the miracle of existence. His writing is infectious though sometimes facile—and grammarians may be upset with the writer’s occasional confusion of the nominative and objective cases of personal pronouns. Less tidy and more eclectic than William Styron’s equally brief, iconic Darkness Visible, Haig’s book provides unobjectionable advice that will offer some help and succor to those who experience depression and other related illnesses. For families and friends of the afflicted, Haig’s book, like Styron’s, will provide understanding and support.
A vibrant, encouraging depiction of a sinister disorder.Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-312872-4
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Penguin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015
Share your opinion of this book
More by Matt Haig
BOOK REVIEW
by Matt Haig
BOOK REVIEW
by Matt Haig
BOOK REVIEW
by Matt Haig
More About This Book
SEEN & HEARD
Readers Donate Depression Book After Star Suicide
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.