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A review by rereader33
The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork
3.0
This book was good. I am thrilled that the author talked about many different mental illnesses (depression, suicide, bipolar, and schizophrenia) and demonstrated not only the problems that can arise from them but that people can still love and accept you at your worst. The writing was simple and it was a quick read. I am thrilled that this is a primarily Hispanic cast; despite all the progress that has been made in diversity, sometimes diverse reads can get swamped in a primarily white cast. The addition of poetry was also wonderful, and the fact that the author included Emily Dickenson (my personal favorite) made it even better. I also appreciated how Vicky's depression is handled by her family. Her family seems determined to make her 'get back on track' and 'get back into the swing of things' right after she is brought home, which is common for people who don't understand depression. There is much more to say, but I don't want to spoil anymore, so I'll leave the positives at that.
Unfortunately, what made the novel fall flat for me was the characters. We are told in the summary that one of the characters, E.M., is in Lakeview because of his anger. And yet, he only displays incredible anger in the last thirty pages. Considering he's billed to be a guy with anger issues, he never loses his cool until the very end. The other problem was Mona. Mona is in Lakeview for help with her bipolar, but she doesn't have much of a personality outside of her condition. Granted, her character is a good example of bipolar and I applaud the author for doing her research, but she didn't have much of a personality which was a little disappointing.
I would recommend this book for those looking for more insight into suicide and depression. This was a good, solid read.
Unfortunately, what made the novel fall flat for me was the characters. We are told in the summary that one of the characters, E.M., is in Lakeview because of his anger. And yet, he only displays incredible anger in the last thirty pages. Considering he's billed to be a guy with anger issues, he never loses his cool until the very end. The other problem was Mona. Mona is in Lakeview for help with her bipolar, but she doesn't have much of a personality outside of her condition. Granted, her character is a good example of bipolar and I applaud the author for doing her research, but she didn't have much of a personality which was a little disappointing.
I would recommend this book for those looking for more insight into suicide and depression. This was a good, solid read.