Started: Feb. 8
Finished: Feb. 15
Notes: This novel, the only one ever published from the author, is the tale of a young woman's descent into madness and her attempt to kill herself. I do not know if she succeeds, but I do know the author killed herself in a manner which is apparently outlined in this book. It sounds like sadness all around, but I'm interested to see where the tale will take the reader.
Mini review: A young woman makes her way through a magazine internship in New York City in the 1950s and then returns home afterward during a summer between college classes. Once back home she begins suffering through a serious depression but she still remains functional, that is until her mother takes her to a psychiatrist who puts the young woman under electro-shock therapy. The change in character is immediate. As soon as this woman has her first bout of electro-shock therapy, she becomes suicidal. All she thinks about is killing herself. Does she manage to do it? I won't tell, in case you should read this book. Oddly enough, this tale isn't overly desperate or sad, at least not in the telling. There are moments of excitement and of desperation, but they are few, most of this tale being told almost as if by a journalist, in a very matter-of-fact manner. Also, though this is the better book, in my opinion, there's almost no way to read this without comparing it to Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye.
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