Girl, Interrupted Review By Caitlin Scarpa

Girl, Interrupted Review

By Caitlin Scarpa

Girl, Interrupted was an amazing book.  I read this for my group memoir podcast, and I am so glad that I did.  This book was about the time Susanna Kaysen spent in the McLean mental hospital.  She told the stories of all of her friends she made while there.  There was Polly, who tried to commit suicide by lighting herself on fire; Lisa, who was an anorexic, sociopath, with insomnia; and Daisy, who would only eat chicken and laxatives. These were just a few of the young women she had met while there, but they were definitely some of the most interesting ones.

She spent two years in the hospital after being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.   Borderline Personality Disorder is a mental disorder that causes depression, anxiety, an unstable sense of self, etc.  I’m not going to spoil the story here but I would really suggest that you read it if you are interested.  I really enjoyed seeing Kaysen’s view on being in the hospital and how she dealt with her illness.  She told the story in a bunch of really short chapters.  Each chapter showed a different experience in her life in, or around the time she was in McLean.  Sometimes she would talk about her life before the hospital, and all of the troubles she had.  Other times she would talk about her life after the hospital, and how she moved on and recovered from her illness.  She would explain how she felt about certain people in the hospital, including patients and staff, and how they affected her life.

*SPOILERS BELOW*

There were many parts of the book that I really enjoyed.  My favorite part was when Susanna became unsure of if she had any bones in her hand.  She was concerned that she wasn't entirely real, and started to dig into her hand until she found her bones.  I found this really interesting, because up until now, she has seemed fairly sane; she didn’t have outbursts like Lisa or any of the other patients.   She also hadn’t showed any self destructive actions since she tried to commit suicide.  I found this scene very interesting.  

Another interesting event was when a new girl, named Alice, came in.  She didn’t look like there was anything wrong with her, until one day when she snapped.  One day, she was taken off to the High Security Ward, where the most dangerous patients were kept.   She was in a room, where she smeared feces on the walls, and was huddled in the corner.  The other girls, including Susanna, decided to never let each other get that bad.  They had realized what could happen to them if they let it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I may read it again just to see what else I can get out of it.