Leave of Absence by Tanya J. Peterson
Publisher: Inkwater Press
Publication Date: April 2013
Categories: Psychological
Source: Inkwater Press
Description:
When Oliver Graham’s suicide attempt fails, he is admitted to Airhaven Behavioral Health Center. Unable to cope with the traumatic loss of his beloved wife and son, he finds a single thread of attachment to life in Penelope, a fellow patient wrestling with schizophrenia’s devastating impact on her once happy and successful life. They both struggle to discover a reason to live while Penelope’s fiance William strives to convince her that she is worth loving. As Oliver and Penelope try to achieve emotional stability, face others who have been part of their lives, and function in the “real world,” they discover that human connection may be reason enough to go on.
Written with extraordinary perception into the thought processes of those dealing with mental illness, Leave of Absence is perfect for readers seeking an empathetic depiction of grief, loss, and schizophrenia. It has a place in the classrooms of counselor-educators, among support groups for those with mental illness and for their caregivers, and in the home of anyone who has ever experienced human suffering and healing.
Written with extraordinary perception into the thought processes of those dealing with mental illness, Leave of Absence is perfect for readers seeking an empathetic depiction of grief, loss, and schizophrenia. It has a place in the classrooms of counselor-educators, among support groups for those with mental illness and for their caregivers, and in the home of anyone who has ever experienced human suffering and healing.
My Thoughts:
This book picked me up, shook me around in it’s teeth, and tossed me aside. What an emotional roller-coaster!
Oliver is the most depressed person I’ve ever read about. Being inside his head was nearly torturous. After the loss of his family, he suffers from a severe case of post traumatic stress disorder.
Penelope, suffering from schizophrenia, was a revelation to me. That particular mental illness has been completely bastardized by Hollywood and popular culture. This book opened my eyes to the reality of dealing with such a disease.
These two distressed and desperate people form an unlikely, but lovely, friendship. By helping one another they are helping themselves. Even though they don’t realize that it’s happening, they are healing one another in small ways.
I had trouble with the dialogue in this book. It read as unnatural. Things were explained in conversations between characters that could have been shown instead. It may have been a case of telling instead of showing.
Let me be clear: I do recommend this book. The subject matter is important and timely. The author obviously knows what she’s talking about. Her passion for this topic radiates throughout the text. I look forward to seeing what Peterson writes next.
Oliver is the most depressed person I’ve ever read about. Being inside his head was nearly torturous. After the loss of his family, he suffers from a severe case of post traumatic stress disorder.
Penelope, suffering from schizophrenia, was a revelation to me. That particular mental illness has been completely bastardized by Hollywood and popular culture. This book opened my eyes to the reality of dealing with such a disease.
These two distressed and desperate people form an unlikely, but lovely, friendship. By helping one another they are helping themselves. Even though they don’t realize that it’s happening, they are healing one another in small ways.
I had trouble with the dialogue in this book. It read as unnatural. Things were explained in conversations between characters that could have been shown instead. It may have been a case of telling instead of showing.
Let me be clear: I do recommend this book. The subject matter is important and timely. The author obviously knows what she’s talking about. Her passion for this topic radiates throughout the text. I look forward to seeing what Peterson writes next.
Tanya J. Peterson holds a Bachelor of Science in secondary education, Master of Science in counseling, and is a Nationally Certified Counselor. She has been a teacher and a counselor in various settings, including a traditional high school and an alternative school for homeless and runaway adolescents, and she has volunteered her services in both schools and communities. She draws on her life experience as well as her education to write stories about the emotional aspect of the human condition.
The Relentless Reader 