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A review by rachelmac476
The Glass Eye: A Memoir by Jeannie Vanasco
5.0
I've fallen into a bit of a reading slump as of late. Since I was in a slump, I tried to stop buying books. However, I also wanted to get out of the reading slump, so I indulged in this book - where the cover and premise caught my attention. It took me longer than it typically would to get through it - which made the purchase seem a little counterintuitive - but, eventually, I made it through.
I think the reason this story worked so well is that author did not hold anything back or shy away from any details - no matter how personal or how vulnerable this required her to be. Some of the writing is quite experimental and, at times, stream of consciousness - but not without purpose. Vanasco takes you on a tour of her mind and allows you to experience her own suffering: her grief, which is so thoroughly intertwined with her mental illness. I don't think I could criticize this book, even if I wanted to because of how open the author is.
Speaking of mental illness, we also witness the author's journey as she navigates the world of psychiatry, therapy, psychology, and hospitalizations. We see the difficulties that low income individuals without health insurance are faced with - as they seek to find the care they need at an affordable cost. Some of Vanasco's experiences made me cringe to see how bad, and even dangerous, some of her experiences were.
Vanasco also incorporates her continued education in writing into this story. During her memoir courses, she receives a lot of advice from her professor and her peers - some of this advice is incorporated, other offerings of advice are contrary to what Vanasco actually ends up doing. There's a moment at the end of the story where her professor says that this memoir must end in a way that lets the readers know that she is okay. One could argue that the author does this. However, I think her approach was more appropriate - she ends the memoir on a note of relative normalcy that allows the reader to see that, while she may not be okay, she is taking the steps necessary to work towards it. For those of us struggling with mental illnesses, we may never be completely "okay" or "normal" - all we can really do is keep trying.
I think the reason this story worked so well is that author did not hold anything back or shy away from any details - no matter how personal or how vulnerable this required her to be. Some of the writing is quite experimental and, at times, stream of consciousness - but not without purpose. Vanasco takes you on a tour of her mind and allows you to experience her own suffering: her grief, which is so thoroughly intertwined with her mental illness. I don't think I could criticize this book, even if I wanted to because of how open the author is.
Speaking of mental illness, we also witness the author's journey as she navigates the world of psychiatry, therapy, psychology, and hospitalizations. We see the difficulties that low income individuals without health insurance are faced with - as they seek to find the care they need at an affordable cost. Some of Vanasco's experiences made me cringe to see how bad, and even dangerous, some of her experiences were.
Vanasco also incorporates her continued education in writing into this story. During her memoir courses, she receives a lot of advice from her professor and her peers - some of this advice is incorporated, other offerings of advice are contrary to what Vanasco actually ends up doing. There's a moment at the end of the story where her professor says that this memoir must end in a way that lets the readers know that she is okay. One could argue that the author does this. However, I think her approach was more appropriate - she ends the memoir on a note of relative normalcy that allows the reader to see that, while she may not be okay, she is taking the steps necessary to work towards it. For those of us struggling with mental illnesses, we may never be completely "okay" or "normal" - all we can really do is keep trying.