SuitabookLiving with a parent’s mental illness
Laura’s mother has bipolar disorder, with past hospitalisations and increasingly erratic behaviour; Laura is left frightened and confused by the family’s silence.
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Book details
Linda Vigen Phillips - Author
This is a verse novel about a teenager living with family secrecy and the effects of her mother’s mental illness. Its central movement is towards understanding, while school, friendship, romance and art remain part of Laura’s everyday world.
This book is a compelling novel in verse about mental illness. Laura is a typical fifteen-year-old growing up in the 1960s, navigating her way through classes, friendships, and even a new romance. But she's carrying around a secret: her mother is suffering from a mental illness. No one in Laura's family will talk about her mother's past hospitalizations or increasingly erratic behavior, and Laura is confused and frightened. Laura finds some refuge in art, but when her mother suffers a breakdown after taking painting back up again herself, even art ceases to provide much comfort. Eloquent and compelling, this powerful novel-in-verse tackles complex themes in a way that will have readers rooting for Laura to find the courage to get the answers she needs. - Publisher.
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Sign in for personalised guidanceThis is a verse novel about a teenager living with family secrecy and the effects of her mother’s mental illness. Its central movement is towards understanding, while school, friendship, romance and art remain part of Laura’s everyday world.
Laura’s mother has bipolar disorder, with past hospitalisations and increasingly erratic behaviour; Laura is left frightened and confused by the family’s silence.
No one in Laura’s family will discuss her mother’s past hospitalisations or current behaviour, while Laura needs answers about what is happening.
Laura finds some refuge in art, but her mother’s return to painting is followed by a breakdown, after which art offers Laura less comfort.
Consider reading alongside a calm, open conversation about mental illness, family privacy and the difference between loving someone and understanding their behaviour. The mother’s hospitalisations and breakdown may feel unsettling.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: the book’s treatment of its main themes is not yet firm enough; some draft conclusions still depend on unresolved evidence.
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