Reviews

Life is But a Dream by Brian James

charms1976's review

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3.0

I don't know what to say about this book. Was it intriguing? Yes. Did it have great writing? Most of the time, yes. Beautiful cover? Check. Maybe I am in a reading funk lately and the young adult stories are just not as refreshing. I really wanted to enjoy this book -- which I did -- but not as much as I was hoping.

Sabrina is in Wellness Center or psychiatric hospital. She has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and her parents put her their for treatment. The author takes us inside Sabrina's mind and lets us get a glimpse at schizophrenia from her mind. When she meets Alec, he tries to convince her that they aren't crazy. He thinks that the outside world is messed up and not them. During the duration of the book, we get to read more about Alec and Sabrina dealing with their problems and relationship. This book is a little darker that what I am used to reading in the young adult world. It is a little heavy and some teens might not like the depressed feel of the story.

Not a bad book, but it wasn't one that had me excited to read more after I finished it. I am curious to see how the author would do with a lighthearted teen book instead of such a serious one.

heather4994's review

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5.0

Sabrina is young, 15, and I thought that was too young for schizophrenia, but I was informed by my 15 yr old that they just studied it in Health and that it isn't too young. So my tax dollars at work, he learned something! But I do think it's unusual. Still it happens to Sabrina and though she's delusional she's strong in some ways. She was taken advantage of and her mind just built a different, though pretty world around the ugly things kids did to her. In fact, she escaped from reality all the time and by escape, she got totally engrossed in her fantasy so that she lost track of time, days, what was going on around her. Her delusions are beautiful, fairies and painting the sky, she's searching for heaven. No, she's not suicidal.

I have no way of judging if Brian James did a good job of portraying what it's like to have "acute schizophrenia." I have nothing to compare it to and the only research I saw that he did was pick up a hitchhiker who shared with him what it was like to have schizophrenia.* But this isn't a "Guide for Schizophrenics." It's just a fictional account of a girl falling into her delusional life, believing the boy she meets in therapy that says the drugs are just going to make her a robot person. Alec. Alec the angry boy who falls for the delusional girl that paints pretty pictures for him that calm him down. But he doesn't realize how serious she is. And she doesn't realize he doesn't believe in her dream. That they will walk into the sun in the ocean, hand in hand and the world will fall to dust all around them and they will be in heaven. What he sees as metaphor she sees as reality.



I think Alec is so busy being angry at the world, at his parents, at his doctors, that he doesn't really take the time to really hear her. He listens and Sabrina believes he's the only one that's ever understood her, but the things he tells her only feeds her paranoia and just when she's getting better, he undoes everything. He tells her they are the only normal ones. And tells her how to fake taking her medicine. And that if she takes her medicine, she'll become one of them. Sabrina has been noticing her escaping has not been working and now she realizes it's the medicine. They are changing her. And her paranoia sets in deep. Unknowingly, Alec makes her much, much worse because they never tell each other what their diseases are,they just describe what the doctors say is wrong with them. The word schizophrenia never comes up.

I think Mr. James tells a great story about a girl coming undone and no one really hearing her. A story about a young girl who knows she's not right, she's special but she doesn't quite understand why it's wrong to be this kind of special. And she's not sure why she should let go of this specialness since it is who she is. Mr. James definitely got that right. As a person that has to take many psychiatric drugs on a daily basis, I fight with that too. And I understand not wanting to change who you are. As soon as Sabrina starts being more lucid, she starts missing her dreams, her escapes from reality. Facing reality is scary and dreaming is much more preferable. So when she feels her escape being taken away, she feels like she's changing, losing herself. I totally identify with her. It's kind of like when you're drinking and you're uninhibited so that you're more social. You'd like to be that way all the time, right? But you can't drink all the time, there are rules. For Sabrina, they are taking away those feelings that she uses to cope as she gets better. It's a good thing, but it's hard to lose when you've always had it.

The story is really beautifully written as Sabrina's delusions are descriptive and original. She's artistic so her delusions are as well. Mr. James isn't flowery in his descriptions yet they are poetic and painted all the same. After the fateful meeting with Alec, I could feel the ball rolling down the hill as Sabrina's mind gained momentum toward her explosive rock bottom, until no one could be trusted, even her own reflection. It's very intense, almost like waiting for a thunderstorm. When they separate her from Alec, she wants to leave the hospital immediately. No one realizes the true effect he's had on her, not even Alec.

I enjoyed reading this story so much. It was told from Sabrina's point of view and it was so mesmerizing reading her thought process. She was lucid at times, remembering to pretend to act normal and other times, completely lost. So foreign to any mental illness I've ever known. And so frightening. And the story was completely different in a good way. Told from the point of view of the person with the mental illness, the victim of the disease, it never vilified her as something evil or soul sucking or a potential murderer. She was the victim of a disease, a "chemical imbalance". I was almost giddy to see it described like that. Why, oh, because that's what many mental illnesses are. And the medicines bring balance back and make a person stable.

I don't know much about schizophrenia. The little I do know is that I'm glad it isn't the disorder I have. But I have been told by mental health professionals that people with the disease can lead very productive lives. So there's hope. And that's kind of where I was left at the end of this book, with some hope. And I applaud Mr. James for his writing, for the inventiveness of Sabrina's delusions and dreams and for writing from the sick person's point of view. Thank you for not making her someone to be hated or pitied. Yes, this is personal for me.

**Brian James, the author, reached out to me on Goodreads to let me know it he did a lot of research on schizophrenia and that his mention of the hitch hiker was merely a shout out for all his valuable and brave sharing of what his daily life is like living with the illness.

Thank you to MacMillian and Feiwel and Friends for allowing me to read an ARC of this via NetGalley.
This in no way influenced my review of this novel.

sandraagee's review

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3.0

There are tons of books about kids with cancer and kids with autism, but I've never encountered one about someone with schizophrenia. Getting inside of Sabrina's head was interesting, and Alec was a nice counterpart as both an outsider and an insider to Sabrina's treatment.

What was actually most disturbing to me was
Spoilerthe amount of sexual abuse Sabrina encountered from her peers. That was creepy, especially considering that these characters are only 14-15 years old and the kids taking advantage of her were "normal"
. I debate how necessary this was for showing Sabrina's condition.

EDIT: A week after finishing the book, I've had more time to digest it. I've decided that even if the book could have potentially functioned just fine without the above spoiler, this content still served a purpose and does have a place in the story.

cupcakegirly's review

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3.0

I am sucker for a pretty cover and this one is no exception! It's also very fitting for the storyline.

"Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream..."

Set within the walls of a psychiatric ward, Life is But a Dream is a story of love and hope that follows the journey of Sabrina, a young schizophrenic who struggles with finding normalcy amidst the noise and colors the threaten to swallow up her life. (Author Brian James' prose is so beautiful in it's imagery that you feel as if your reading a song instead of a book.)

Sabrina's parents send her to the Wellness Center after her "episodes" reach a breaking point and she's suspended from school as a result. It's there that she meets Alec, a boy dealing with his own anger issues and whose convinced that everyone else is the problem and they're the ones who are normal. (That's the way it always is, right?) They strike up a quick friendship because he doesn't treat Sabrina as if she's crazy like everyone else in her life does. He's enthralled by her view of the world which always seems dreamlike and filled with colors and creatures that only appear in the world of make believe.

As the weeks go by and Sabrina begins to see things as they really are, (thanks to her meds) Alec tells her it's because the doctors are trying to change her, to take away all that makes her "who" she is. This frightens her so she decides, at Alec's suggestions, to go off of her medications, neither of them realizing the deadly effects this could have. When reality and delusion begin to collide, Sabrina's true sanity will be tested and she'll need the support of those who love her in order to survive.

As difficult as it is to watch Sabrina struggle for her reality, it's even harder to watch as those around her come to the realization that she does, in fact, have a serious problem. Her parents love her and want nothing more than for her to have a normal life. It's obvious that Alec loves her too and when he sees what his actions have done to her, your heart breaks for him.

There is hope though and that was what I enjoyed most about this book. Hope in knowing that with the correct treatment and a good support system, people living with Schizophrenia can lead lives full of love, wonder and color, just like the rest of us.

exhaleartist's review

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4.0

DNF, too triggering.

booksenvogue's review

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4.0

I have a new found respect for people with mental health issues. This story doesn’t asks for sympathy or begs to poke fun at psychological issues rather pulls you into the world of walking into the sun to get to Heaven; where bad people have static inside of them; the world is crumbling within itself; and people are stolen bit by bit by technology and replaced with imposters. We see the world from Sabrina’s eyes. (A teenager battling schizophrenia from within the walls of a wellness center.) We see her meet the boy from her dreams, Alex, who’s also a patient, but admitted under false pretense. The romance aspect of their relationship is sweet, innocent and enduring. The overall story sporadically switches back and forth between Sabrina’s life before diagnosis and after; and has twists and turns that’s definitely a page turner. It left me wondering, if you read a book about crazy people, told from the delusional perspective of a crazy person, and like it…does that make you crazy? Well if so, strap me in a straight jacket and commit my name to the logs because this story is truly a humbling heart touching, believable, enjoyable, read that I will not soon forget.

nematome's review

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3.0

One of the many things that fascinate me about mental disorders is the thought that some of these symptoms that we’ve labeled and classified as illnesses might not be illnesses at all. For most of the twentieth century, homosexuality was classified as a mental illness. “Schizophrenia” appears in cultures around the globe, but its manifestations tend to differ from one culture to another –as do the cultural attitudes surrounding it. Our “normal” perception of the world is really just a hallucination created by the brain in response to environmental stimulae, so is it really so strange when someone’s perception is slightly different than the norm? Pondering all of these things was what kept me the most engaged with this book.

Sabrina’s point of view is a very ambitious one to take on –that of a schizophrenic girl. I am in no way qualified to tell you whether this is a realistic portrayal, but I was really impressed. The writing is beautifully descriptive without feeling gratuitous and further than that I think that for a man, the author did an amazing job of writing a realistic teenage girl. I was especially moved by Sabrina’s attitude toward her illness. She’s experienced some form of hallucination since early childhood, so it feels comforting and normal to her. She doesn’t feel right without her hallucinations. And my heart broke a little bit when her parents – who used to be so encouraging of her imaginative games – began to disapprove.

“My dad smiles and pulls me so close my shoulder bumps into his ribs and I have to cross my legs to catch my balance. –You know, Sabrina, sometimes I wish you could stay a kid forever– he says. –Promise something? Even when you do get older and grow up, stay this perfect for me.– My eyes light up and I smile. –Sure thing, Dad– I tell him. –I promise.–“

As you can probably tell from that passage, there are a few interesting quirks to the writing. There are no quotation marks: all dialogue is shown in italics and separated by dashes. Also, the narrative skips back and forth abruptly in time with almost nothing to indicate that it’s happening. Flashbacks and the main story are told in present tense. All of that may seem annoying, but I have to say that while I was reading this, none of it bothered me. I think that the abrupt shifts in time are confusing and unsettling, but they illustrate Sabrina’s mental state perfectly.

So here's the source of my disappointment: all pondering aside, I guess in the end I do believe that schizophrenia is a mental illness, and that hallucinating your way through the world is quite a bit more dangerous than it is beautiful. I thought that the author and I were on the same page about that for most of this book. When the love interest Alec was introduced –so full of angry convictions – I was fascinated by the idea that Sabrina’s view of him was incorrect. She's so wrapped up in her visions of his glowing eyes and familiar shape and the future that she imagines they've already had together. When you read just his words – his plain words – without any of her extra perceptions, he seems antagonistic and foolish – maybe even a little dangerous. She seems to miss out on who he really is – a confused, violent young man. Or so I assumed, and that assumption fueled a lot of my interest in this book.

And then I got to the ending. (I swear – I should just have that engraved on my tombstone. It would work on so many levels! Okay, maybe just two levels.) The ending is just incredibly unrealistic, in my opinion. Alec proves himself to be everything Sabrina thought he was, even appearing magically at exactly the right time – just as her hallucinations told her he would. Sabrina achieves near perfect lucidity just in time to regret her actions, and of course they all learn a very important lesson. Blah blah blah. I guess I wanted the consequences to be more real, and I didn't want to see Sabrina realize so quickly and easily that she needed help. And I don’t think that schizophrenic hallucinations are likely to lead a person to her soul mate.

However, if you love happy endings and you’d like to read a very well written book from the point of view of a schizophrenic person, I think this would be a great choice. For this old skeptic, it was just okay.

Perfect Musical Pairing

Cate Le Bon - Greta

This is one sad, sad case where a you tube video of the song that I chose does not exist (reviewer problems). And there's no way that I'm picking a different song, because this one is just perfection. Luckily I found it on her myspace page - so click the link above to listen. Cate Le Bon creates eerily beautiful, almost unsettling music. These lyrics are so perfect:

"In the morning
The universe shines
From under her skin
The delicate pattern
Of places she's been
Her baby days
Coiled up inside her
Like ribbons all tied"


Also seen on The Readventurer.

heykellyjensen's review

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2.0

2.5.

This story, set in a psychiatric ward, follows Sabrina through her struggles with schizophrenia. It's told both in the present and in flashbacks. Unlike many books dealing with schizophrenia, this one is actually about schizophrenia and not dissociative identity disorder. James doesn't conflate the two.

That said, the writing never quite worked for me. I felt too distanced from Sabrina to build sympathy for her. It makes sense because it's Sabrina's voice, but it felt more like it pushed me away than let me in. I was also not a huge fan of the use of Alec in the story; I do think he'll be an interesting discussion point, though.
Spoiler I don't think he exists at all. I wanted to be mad because I thought maybe this was going down the road of a boy saving a girl, but really, I think he was all in Sabrina's mind. I can see many readers thinking that interpretation is wrong and believing Alec really exists. There's evidence for both sides here. But because I'm impressed with James's handling of honest schizophrenia, I choose to believe he's part of Sabrina's dream world.
.

Setting this in a psych ward was fascinating, and though it doesn't go the route of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, I do think this book would be an interesting pairing with that classic.

Full review here: http://www.stackedbooks.org/2012/02/pair-of-contemporary-reviews.html

bstaats's review

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4.0

I was initially unsure of what to expect from Life Is But a Dream, because mental health can be dealt with in so many different ways when people talk about it, and this topic really is the driving force of the book.

But Brian James successfully delivers an open-minded and refreshing glance into the mind of Sabrina, one that is utterly captivating and leaves you dreading the ending, wondering how it could possibly work out but hoping for the best.

Reasons to Read:

1.Extraordinary point of view:

Sabrina has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, which makes her a rather unique narrator. As her mental health fluctuates, so does the writing and the story itself. There's nothing stable about it, and it works rather well without anything becoming convoluted. This is truly outstanding, and Brian presents a fantastic look into her mind which is surely a credit to his talent as a writer.

2.A psychological and open-minded read:

Mental health is something that still isn't talked about much, so I applaud Brian for bringing this up and making it central to his story. Now, I have to admit that I'm a person who has done quite a bit of thinking and has strong opinions regarding it, but this book even made me question some of my well-rooted beliefs. It isn't as simple of a situation as we would like to think, and it really does bring up the question of what "normal" and "crazy" are, even what "healthy" means. This was easily my favourite aspect of the book.

3.THAT ENDING:

It isn't a tortured, cliffhanger ending. But as you're reading, you can just feel everything escalating and you know it's going to culminate into one big explosion but what can you do to stop it? And my jaw literally dropped at the last couple chapters. I was so taken back by the end, and really pleasantly surprised by it because my predictions had been wayyyy off. It's really satisfying however, and much better than I had thought it would end up being.

Now, as much as I loved the ending it seemed somewhat contrary to where the book had been leading up to and kind of out of the blue. Was I happy with it? Yes, absolutely. Was it unexpected? Yes, because I wasn't sure it added up to everything else that had happened.

I was speechless when I finished reading this beautiful story. Never before have I read a book that both made me question my opinions and solidified them at the same time, and made me into a wrecked ball of tumultuous emotions. But thank goodness for this book, which will leave you with a greater sense of understanding and appreciation for the complications that come with mental health.

ARC received from Raincoast books for review.

amberinpieces's review

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3.0

Rating: 2.5

An artistic and imaginative teenage girl is out of touch with reality and after an incident at school, she meets with a doctor who diagnoses her with schizophrenia. Sabrina’s parents check her into the Wellness Center, but just as she begins to get better, she meets Alec, who tells her the world is crazy, not them. On top of that, she worries her treatment will dry out all of her creativity.

Told in the first person from Sabrina’s point-of-view, Life is But a Dream provides an interesting and disturbing fictional account of life through the eyes of a schizophrenic. There were things I liked about the book, but the majority of it was just okay for me.

The formatting was unique. Instead of quotation marks for dialogue, there were dashes throughout the whole book to indicate speech. Quite honestly, the dashes bothered me. They made it seem like everything was happening in Sabrina’s head or everything was just thoughts instead of speech, which I assumed was the point until it turned out to be constant and consistent. Additionally, Brian James wrote all of the action in the present tense despite Sabrina’s present stay at the hospital and some of the parts being her memories, but that also seemed to add to her delusional state.

Alec, the boy who falls for Sabrina and vice versa, brought up very good points about conformity and how Sabrina saw the world. I did feel bad for her and how she thought she was losing part of herself. Alec had good intentions for her that turned out disastrous because he did not see the narrower picture in this case.

Life is But a Dream did disturb me a little as I got further into the book. Sabrina’s “dreams” sometimes distracted me and made me lose my place or forget where the train of thought started but without firsthand experience with schizophrenia, I can only guess I was meant to feel that way.

Life is But a Dream had a slow pace, but it really sped up at the end and I became more interested. I did like the ending, but I felt like the interaction between Alec and Sabrina’s parents was unrealistic, and the majority of the book was okay for me.

Recommended for young adult readers sixteen and older who are interested in reading about mental illness.

Read this review in its original format here.