As part of my book-a-week project, I've been keeping one-line reviews of the books in a notebook. For Melody Moezzi's Haldol and Hyacinths, it says, "Could have been more cohesive, but an interesting look at psychosis." And that's pretty much the entirety of my thoughts.
Jk. I'll give you some more words.
This memoir touches on a lot of things: anorexia, law school, religious devotion, Obama's election, care-givers, cultural identity, terrorism, family. I would have loved a longer memoir and more time devoted to (at least some) of these topics [1]. These and more were tantalizingly glimpsed and touched on, but I was left wanting more meditation on these facets of her life. Her Islamic faith in relation to her mental disorder, that would have riveted me. "...I learned that God cannot be found, only sought. ...I learned how such seeking trains us to love without restraint."
The focus was (reasonably) trained on her: her life, her thoughts in the psych ward, her hypomanic experience in Montana. Of course, it is her memoir and Moezzi can tell it however she pleases. But I would have liked more about her family's and husband's experiences coming to terms with a loved one having a (pretty severe) mental illness.
xo,
Devo
[1] Because of my interests, I'd prefer more on religion, care-gives, and family.
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