"That's all any of us want, isn't it? To be seen, to be listened to with compassion and attention while we unload our troubled hearts."
Rachel Edwards feels invisible. Going through menopause is indeed rough, but this is something else. As she tells her story to the forensic psychiatrist, Rachel hopes to achieve some clarity about events over the past year. Lately, Rachel has come to believe that she has committed murder and she contacts the police and turns herself in. NO SPOILERS.
This psychological drama was quite unusual. The narrative alternates between Rachel's point of view and transcriptions of excerpts of police interviews with the main characters. The police speak with Rachel's husband, her daughter, her best friend, and her neighbor. All could see that Rachel was struggling -- but so were they. The themes of mental illness, grief, stress, and strong emotions are examined. Menopausal psychosis is not a familiar subject so I had to go do some reading about psychiatric conditions that occur because of, or during, menopause. Definitely the social and life changes such as having an "empty nest" and a flagging marriage can exacerbate pre-existing depressive symptoms. Rachel's negative self-image with regard to her aging appearance likely also had an effect on her thoughts and behavior. Although not fast-paced or thrilling, it was an absorbing story and it really was rather sad after all.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre -- psychological drama
No comments:
Post a Comment