A review by nabaraditi
The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

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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