Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - The Yellow Wallpaper

This one hit very close to home. It’s heartbreaking how universal some aspects of the female experience are.

After reading this story, I did a brief research and one of the things I’ve found is that it is based on something Perkins herself went through. So now I can think of three women of my acquaintance that know all too well the feeling of being unwell while the men in your life, the ones supposed to be on your side, attempt to gaslight you. These women in question are, of course, the author, my mother and myself.

How many more of us are trapped inside this wallpaper?

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nabaraditi's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I'm not sure why this book is labelled as feminist and horror. Depression is a horrifying experience, yes. But horror means something different from horrifying. Also, the husband isn't exactly oppressive towards the wife. He's ignorant about the effects of mental illness on the person's behaviour and mind. (which is very true and relatable in today's times where even doctors are not aware of the importance of mental health)

This book is powerful and sad and depicts the reality of how we as a society deal with mental illnesses and how we as a society shun people who suffer from mental illnesses. The short story is about a woman who is suffering from post-partum depression (i'm assuming that's what it is and not Major Depressive Disorder) and her husband aka the physician has advised to have her locked in a room because apparently in the 19th century that's how you 'cure' hysteria or depressive symptoms. Obviously, that's not how you deal with depression and this deteriorates her mental health even more.

I wasn't exactly blown away by the book but I cannot deny the fact that this is the kind of book that could start discussions on mental health and mental disorders

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deanenicole's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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malaikawrites's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This story is a short and intriguing portrayal of a women’s mental decline while trapped in rest-cure circumstances that are supposed to heal her. It’s a very quick and captivating read that has many contradictions and ironic elements which introduce many thought provoking topics for exploration and conversation.

Things like the rest-cure triggering the woman’s sleepless nights, and the lack of activity solidifying her hyper focus on the yellow wallpaper, are all things that make the story interesting and conversation worthy.

The woman’s mental decline is inevitable, and I knew that from the very beginning, but I still found myself sad for her and invested in watching her unravel until the end of it all. To peak my interest with a story so short I read it in less than half an hour? That’s talent.

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