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Description
"What had happened to our beautiful happy life? Could it really be over for us? I just wasn't sure if our love was strong enough to keep us together. I probably believed it wasn't." It was an idyllic marriage. John and Marion were high school sweethearts who married and began a successful life together. He was an internationally respected scientist in his field and she was a business woman in her family firm. With three children and finally settled in Victoria. BC, Canada after stints in Vienna and Australia, tragedy struck. Despite the eventual and probable diagnosis of late-onset schizophrenia, John and Marion struggled to hold their family together and to deal with an illness that usually strikes much earlier in life. This is their story of what happens when your mind betrays you.… (more)
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User reviews
The book has its weaknesses: it's awkwardly structured - the intent to educate about
Ultimately, this story did what it set out to do: it educated me on a disease that I know little about and which is highly stigmatized. Mental illness is not often discussed and when it is, it is often shamefacedly. I applaud the Gibsons for their courage in making their story public.
I loved this book. Marion (AKA Mar)'s story is a
A thing that I want to point out is that she spelled out times and dates constantly and that made it hard to read in places because it was hard to understand what she was meaning by them since she did not put it a common format. I don't know, maybe that's something she was taught to do in her writing but I was not.
There was also a major autocorrect malfunction on page 52 of 178 in which I assume that she meant to put "...and his piercing glare.", but it was published as "...and his Pier-Mariecing glare." I point this out not for readers or for myself but in hopes that the author will read this and fix it. It took me a few minutes to understand what was really meant, and I know that isn't the author's fault. Stupid autocorrect.
Before the film A Beautiful Mind was mentioned (I didn't think it would be!), I was comparing this story to that movie. If you haven't seen that movie, you should. It's great!
I will end by saying that you should read this book! It is heartbreaking, beautiful, and everything all at once. I wish the best for her family and would really love to read more from her about her husband's progress. I think she should start a blog for all of the people who want to know more in real time. Mrs. Gibson is a very strong lady and I support her decision to publish this 100%. More people need to know that this happens to normal people every day! I definitely recommend this book.
Ultimately the Gibsons come through
I thought the last few chapters effectively summarised circumstances that many people who suffer from mental illness can relate to, as well as their loved ones, and the author conveys the most important message of the story, which is that mental illness is not uncommon, it's not a character flaw, and society continues to stigmatise illnesses that could benefit the most from the support of others. I wish this chapter had been at the beginning of the book because unfortunately I fear some people who need to hear that message the most will not read to the end of the book. I particularly liked the passage at the end by the psychiatrist.
This story doesn't reflect well on the Canadian healthcare system clearly, but hopefully it can be a catalyst for change.
I would recommend this book to anyone suffering from a mental illness, particularly those seeking to learn more about schizophrenia, but quite frankly I'd recommend it to everyone because the mentally ill deserve to be acknowledged in the same way sufferers of other diseases are. And right now society by and large does choose to ignore its existence.
I received this book as an Early Reviewer, but that did not influence my review.