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A review by lady_wira
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
4.0
We’ve all faced it, I think, the desire to make amends. At one point or another, we’ve envisioned our lives turning out differently than they did. Gone through our memories and lived different choices in our minds. Sorrow and Bliss.
Martha the narrator is a 40-year-old lady, married to Patrick for 8 years, she battles a mental condition that she believes has stifled her life. Her marriage to Patrick isn’t thrilling, whenever they are asked how they met, she says, it’s “a thing that was always there, so much so that no one ever gives it any conscious thought”.
Her relationship with Patrick who she first met when he was 13, reads like an almost perfect pair. He is the shoulder she has always leaned on, the person that is always willing to compromise, and her immediate caregiver.
While seeking medical help, doctors told her she could not have children as the medication could potentially harm the child. Martha took this in and convinced herself she did not want children, as much as she loved them, she could not have her own. Supportive, and always there Patrick married her this knowledge, but as the years went by the gap grew.
After the divorce, Martha moved back in with her parents, Is it possible to start over? the countless days alone gave her the room to reimagine her past and who she has become. Her recounts are vivid depictions, even the gory things she does not shy from.
While living with her parents, she sorts different opinions from different experts. By the time Martha finds out the truth, it is already too late. The dream has to remain just that. The images of holding her child dead.
Excerpts:
you can stop loving someone and start again from nothing – if you can find something else to want.
Everything is broken and messed up and completely fine. That is what life is. It’s only the ratios that change.
I’m the worst person in the world” “No, you’re not.” Patrick’s hand came down in a fist and he hit the arm of the sofa. “You’re not the best person in the world either, which is what you really think. You’re the same as everybody else. But that’s harder for you, isn’t it? You’d rather be one or the other. The idea that you might be ordinary is unbearable
I am not saying you haven’t suffered, Martha. But I am saying, grow up. You’re not the only one
Short of another, beauty is a reason to live
Meg Mason’s writing is witty, humorous and captivating. She handles mental issues meticulously and not once does she mention the diagnosis. She is subtle and empathetic in her attempts to say, “You can start over again, you can still live your daydream.”
This book is one that I truly enjoyed reading. Some chapters were dragged out, and over-emphasis placed on some ideas makes the book repetitive, but all round captivating. It shines the light on what society truly is like nowadays. If you or anyone you know suffers from mental illness, it matters to be kind. Seek help and continually know, you matter, you are valued, you are here and you belong.
Martha the narrator is a 40-year-old lady, married to Patrick for 8 years, she battles a mental condition that she believes has stifled her life. Her marriage to Patrick isn’t thrilling, whenever they are asked how they met, she says, it’s “a thing that was always there, so much so that no one ever gives it any conscious thought”.
Her relationship with Patrick who she first met when he was 13, reads like an almost perfect pair. He is the shoulder she has always leaned on, the person that is always willing to compromise, and her immediate caregiver.
While seeking medical help, doctors told her she could not have children as the medication could potentially harm the child. Martha took this in and convinced herself she did not want children, as much as she loved them, she could not have her own. Supportive, and always there Patrick married her this knowledge, but as the years went by the gap grew.
After the divorce, Martha moved back in with her parents, Is it possible to start over? the countless days alone gave her the room to reimagine her past and who she has become. Her recounts are vivid depictions, even the gory things she does not shy from.
While living with her parents, she sorts different opinions from different experts. By the time Martha finds out the truth, it is already too late. The dream has to remain just that. The images of holding her child dead.
Excerpts:
you can stop loving someone and start again from nothing – if you can find something else to want.
Everything is broken and messed up and completely fine. That is what life is. It’s only the ratios that change.
I’m the worst person in the world” “No, you’re not.” Patrick’s hand came down in a fist and he hit the arm of the sofa. “You’re not the best person in the world either, which is what you really think. You’re the same as everybody else. But that’s harder for you, isn’t it? You’d rather be one or the other. The idea that you might be ordinary is unbearable
I am not saying you haven’t suffered, Martha. But I am saying, grow up. You’re not the only one
Short of another, beauty is a reason to live
Meg Mason’s writing is witty, humorous and captivating. She handles mental issues meticulously and not once does she mention the diagnosis. She is subtle and empathetic in her attempts to say, “You can start over again, you can still live your daydream.”
This book is one that I truly enjoyed reading. Some chapters were dragged out, and over-emphasis placed on some ideas makes the book repetitive, but all round captivating. It shines the light on what society truly is like nowadays. If you or anyone you know suffers from mental illness, it matters to be kind. Seek help and continually know, you matter, you are valued, you are here and you belong.