Although I am an avid literature student and absolutely relish reading the written word, I also happen to be an absolute film junkie and one of my favourite films of all time is ‘Girl, Interrupted’ therefore as soon as I saw that the film was actually based upon a novel, I jumped right on to Amazon and ordered it without a second thought! And I was not disappointed that I did. I in fact ended up enjoying the novel far more than one of my favourite films. Girl, Interrupted is the first autobiographical novel by author Susanna Kaysen and it depicts her own experiences as an eighteen year old girl in the Mclean Hospital for the mentally ill. The provocative story takes you through an intense two year period of this young girl’s interrupted life, although heart-wrenching at times Kaysen is brilliant at almost softening the blow through her excellent use of humour but it never draws away from the poignant truth of what goes on behind the walls of a mental institution.
Kaysen begins her story after seeing a doctor for the first time and him recommending that she takes a “short stay”, originally thought to be a couple of days, in the Mclean hospital to be treated for having a borderline personality. Kaysen currently had no direction in life after a series of dramatic and dangerous events such as a suicide attempt, an affair with her English teacher along with another troubled relationship. We see her adjusting to life there, fighting against treatment and then eventually admitting that she does need help and accepting it. However the story is not as simple as a tale of a girl overcoming the monster that is her illness but it also analyses the way in which help is given to those suffering with mental illnesses and more complex psychological issues which are heart-breaking to read.
Whilst I absolutely adore the film adaptation and although it did stick accurately to Kaysen’s details it is not a scratch on the novel. Kaysen’s writing offers you an insight into the world of a young girl living with a borderline personality disorder, it draws you in almost uncomfortably close at times to her mind-set and forces you into rethinking your preconceived ideas about mental illness. Personally I have never been around mental illness nor really thought in too much depth about it yet I was surprised when reading this how many ideas and beliefs I already had about it. This novel completely shattered any previous beliefs I had about mental illness; I am sure that it has broken many other people’s stigmatism towards it too. This is a fantastic thing for a novel to achieve. And how does she do this? I believe that it is the novels powerful truth behind it. This isn’t a fiction. Kaysen actually had all of these experiences and her writing emulates that, the whole piece has a reflective tone to it almost like a woman looking back at an old diary or journal.
It is not just about her story we learn about some of the friends she makes during her stay, we are exposed to young girls suffering with eating disorders, schizophrenia, depression along with even lying disorders. Kaysen however doesn’t portray them via their conditions however but just as the girls that they are, for brief moments throughout the book you sometimes even forget the bleak setting as you get so wrapped up in the girls just acting like eighteen year old girls do for gossiping about boys in front of the TV. However you are brought back to the harsh reality when one of the girls has a breakdown and you remember where these young girls are, in an environment that has absolutely no sense of privacy with nurses doing ‘checks’ every five minutes and being unable to even shave your legs without someone in the room keeping an eye on you.
I found this novel very moving but also educational and eye-opening. The non-linear plot line also keeps the story interesting and the reader on their toes as we do not know what Kaysen is going to divulge next. I definitely recommend reading Girl, Interrupted as it is not a difficult read with lots of Freudian terms but a relatable text that everyone can gain something from.
By Zakiyah Rawat
An engaged and energetic piece, Zakiyah, that perhaps strays a little too close to fan-girl gush (especially in the opening paragraph: you could lose the first six-and-a-bit lines and start the review with 'Girl, Interrupted is the first autobiographical novel...' without losing anything. Your enthusiasm comes over strongly, but it needs to be supported with more evidence from the text. And you could elaborate some of the more interesting points. For example:
ReplyDelete"The non-linear plot line also keeps the story interesting and the reader on their toes as we do not know what Kaysen is going to divulge next."
Isn't this true of a linear plot, too? (I mean: when reading a linear plot you don't know what's coming next). You need to say a little more about why a non-linear plot is the best way to tell this particular story, and what makes it good.
"It is not a difficult read with lots of Freudian terms but a relatable text that everyone can gain something from." What's wrong with Freudian terms? (And please don't end your sentences with a preposition)