BOOK REVIEW

Title: A Multitude of Mercies

Author: Fay Freimuth

In ten words or less: Portrait of how a schizophrenic woman's disease affects her family.

Review: Freimuth's novel is dedicated to her sister, who suffered from schizophrenia. It is the story, simply told, of two sisters--Nancy and Laura. Nancy is married, mother of two, and is expecting her third child. Laura, who has been hospitalized for schizophrenia, is struggling to support herself and get a college degree. Laura's illness affects her entire family--her parents, her grandmother--and leads her to get involved with a series of abusive men.
I don't know how much of this book is based on the author's real life experience, but it reads as if it was a journal kept to record all the painful moments of this part of her life.

Why bother? A worthwhile read--no gimmicks here--just pain, disappointment, and hope.