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A review by willwork4airfare
72 Hour Hold by Bebe Moore Campbell
4.0
I am so conflicted on how I feel about this book.
On the very first page, from the writing style alone, I almost put it down and crossed it off my to be read list for good. Because of the subject matter though, I gave it another shot. I will say that it got easier, began to flow more naturally, and it kept the story moving along more fast-paced, but I never really got comfortable with it.
I like this book because it's doing so many amazing things. Not only is it about bipolar disorder and the concept of involuntary hospitalization, subjects I will read almost any book about, but it's a story about a black girl with mental illness, and
But, on the other hand, while it was interesting to read about it from the mother's perspective, and I really appreciated the insights and the emotional honesty of the narrator, I really didn't like how they portrayed Trina and her bipolar disorder. Other than her mother's proud memories of her as a star student about to go to Brown, I didn't really get to know her as the stable, loving person she supposedly was most of the time. Any and all of Trina's behaviors made her mother worry to no end, and while I can't imagine the anguish a parent of a mentally ill child goes through when they go missing, any action of Trina's that her mother didn't explicitly approve of sent her running to the police and calling all the hospitals. In general, I disagree with involuntary hospitalizations. They should be used sparingly and only as a last resort. There is no question that the system is broken, and I loved how her mother was willing to break laws and risk everything to get her daughter help that would actually help, but Trina and all people with mental illnesses are their own people and being placed on a locked ward without your consent as an adult is a traumatizing experience. I had never heard of conservatorship before and that concept scares me greatly.
At the same time, I loved most of the characters in the book and many of them were not afraid to call Keri out on her nonsense. She was definitely more wrapped up in the idea of who her daughter was "meant" to be and had trouble understanding that Trina's illness is lifelong and incurable. That doesn't mean her life is over or has less value, it just may not be what you expected and planned for before. I'm sure that my own mother can relate. I liked the parallel with Angelica, who has borderline personality disorder. I liked the honesty behind Keri trying not to compare the two girls and reassure herself that her daughter wasn't as bad. And I also love that Angelica made it to the other therapy and continued with it, so that the book didn't imply that it was a bad idea, just not the right course for Trina perhaps.
Too much of this book is too close to home for me. My biggest complaint is that I wish we heard more of Trina's point of view, or at least got a better look at her outside of her sickness, and just the general writing style. Overall, I thought the book was suspenseful and quick, easy to read and hard to put down. I liked the plot and the characters, the arc of the narrative, and most of all, the honest portrayal of a very real problem. I don't believe it's the full story, but it's a very compelling insight into one side of it. I didn't want to like it as much as I did, but I'm glad I stuck with it in the end.
On the very first page, from the writing style alone, I almost put it down and crossed it off my to be read list for good. Because of the subject matter though, I gave it another shot. I will say that it got easier, began to flow more naturally, and it kept the story moving along more fast-paced, but I never really got comfortable with it.
I like this book because it's doing so many amazing things. Not only is it about bipolar disorder and the concept of involuntary hospitalization, subjects I will read almost any book about, but it's a story about a black girl with mental illness, and
Spoiler
she does not get magically better by the end. There is no cut and dry happy ending. But nor does it end in tragedy and death. It's just a snapshot in time of a real condition that real people are out there living with every day.But, on the other hand, while it was interesting to read about it from the mother's perspective, and I really appreciated the insights and the emotional honesty of the narrator, I really didn't like how they portrayed Trina and her bipolar disorder. Other than her mother's proud memories of her as a star student about to go to Brown, I didn't really get to know her as the stable, loving person she supposedly was most of the time. Any and all of Trina's behaviors made her mother worry to no end, and while I can't imagine the anguish a parent of a mentally ill child goes through when they go missing, any action of Trina's that her mother didn't explicitly approve of sent her running to the police and calling all the hospitals. In general, I disagree with involuntary hospitalizations. They should be used sparingly and only as a last resort. There is no question that the system is broken, and I loved how her mother was willing to break laws and risk everything to get her daughter help that would actually help, but Trina and all people with mental illnesses are their own people and being placed on a locked ward without your consent as an adult is a traumatizing experience. I had never heard of conservatorship before and that concept scares me greatly.
At the same time, I loved most of the characters in the book and many of them were not afraid to call Keri out on her nonsense. She was definitely more wrapped up in the idea of who her daughter was "meant" to be and had trouble understanding that Trina's illness is lifelong and incurable. That doesn't mean her life is over or has less value, it just may not be what you expected and planned for before. I'm sure that my own mother can relate. I liked the parallel with Angelica, who has borderline personality disorder. I liked the honesty behind Keri trying not to compare the two girls and reassure herself that her daughter wasn't as bad. And I also love that Angelica made it to the other therapy and continued with it, so that the book didn't imply that it was a bad idea, just not the right course for Trina perhaps.
Too much of this book is too close to home for me. My biggest complaint is that I wish we heard more of Trina's point of view, or at least got a better look at her outside of her sickness, and just the general writing style. Overall, I thought the book was suspenseful and quick, easy to read and hard to put down. I liked the plot and the characters, the arc of the narrative, and most of all, the honest portrayal of a very real problem. I don't believe it's the full story, but it's a very compelling insight into one side of it. I didn't want to like it as much as I did, but I'm glad I stuck with it in the end.