One woman’s journey through Mental Health.

Once I received this book I set about reading it. It only took me 2-3 days to finish this book because not only is it a short book but interesting.

It is an autobiography; about the author, Susanna Kaysen’s few years spent within a mental institution (famous for housing Sylvia Plath) on a teenage girls wing.

The reason I picked this book up was that I had already watched the film (with Angelina Jolie, Brit Murphy & Winona Ryder) which made me fascinated about how close to the book the film was.

The film was brilliant, I wondered if the book was too? Yes, the book lived up to expectations and gave a more detailed account you are unable to get with a film.

The first thing this short novel showed me is how honest the author is; we really get inside her head and she explains well what is going on around her and her emotions.

The 1st person works well with the 3rd person throughout because we get the feeling that we are experiencing it with the people involved. As far as I know, the names have all been changed but each person has their own identity which makes you want to learn more about them.

“Sometimes the only way to stay sane is to go a little bit crazy”

Would I recommend this book to a friend? Honestly, I would recommend this to anyone that has a keen interest in mental health. It is very thought-provoking and makes you question yourself at times!