I was nervous about picking up this book. Mental illness is a tough subject to tackle and is often dramatized to the point of being inaccurate. That was not the case with Billiter and A Divided Mind.
Portrayal of Mental Illness
As someone who actually suffers with the illness written about in A Divided Mind, Billiter did a great job of crafting a realistic portrayal of the illness. The symptoms exhibited by Branson sometimes made the reader question what was real, but I loved that in doing so it helps the reader get further into the mind of someone suffering from a mental illness.
Some of the characters made decisions that had me mentally screaming at them, but that’s life – and it makes the characters more life-like. I loved the relationships between Tara and her children, and how her daughter seems to have a wisdom way beyond her years.
Tara went so far to protect her children, and remained loving throughout everything that happened – one can only hope to become as loving a mother as Tara.
Beyond relating to the mental illness portion, the conversations were very similar to conversations I’ve had with my own mother in the past. Billiter made it easy for the reader to step into the minds and shoes of each character narrating.
Recommendation
A Divided Mind was so well written that I couldn’t put it down, and finished it in one sitting. It is a book I would refer people to if they were interested in learning more about mental illness from a more personal perspective, or for people like me who want to feel understood and less alone.
I highly recommend this book, and give it five stars. I will be eagerly awaiting any potential sequel, especially if it is anywhere near as good as A Divided Mind was.
If you enjoyed reading A Divided Mind, consider reading How to Weep in Public by Jacqueline Novak. In a memoir style of writing, How to Weep in Public deals with depression, and the very personal aspects… along with a lot of Novak’s intense sarcasm and wit.
Disclaimer: I received this book free from LibraryThing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
Becky Johnson says
Great review.