SuitabookCrazy
Linda Vigen Phillips
- Reading
- Read in short sections and pause when the verse changes image, pace or emotional focus. Invite the reader to describe what Laura knows, assumes and still needs to discover, without demanding personal disclosure.
- Themes
- Living 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. The book?s stance on this remains unclear.
- Silence and seeking answers: No one in Laura’s family will discuss her mother’s past hospitalisations or current behaviour, while Laura needs answers about what is happening. The book?s stance on this remains unclear.
- Art as refuge: 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. The book?s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- 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.