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YA Review: Life Is But a Dream by Brian James

3/24/2012

14 Comments

 
Life Is But a Dream cover
Life Is But a Dream
Author: Brian James
Publication Date: 3/27/12
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Blurb(GR):
Sabrina, an artist, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her parents check her into the Wellness Center. There she meets Alec, who is convinced it's the world that's crazy, not the two of them. They are meant to be together; they are special. But when Alec starts to convince Sabrina that her treatment will wipe out everything that makes her creative, she worries that she'll lose hold of her dreams and herself. Should she listen to her doctor? her decision may have fatal consequences. 

Review:
One of the many things that fascinate me about mental disorders is the thought that some of these symptoms that we’ve labeled and classified as illnesses might not be illnesses at all.  For most of the twentieth century, homosexuality was classified as a mental illness.  “Schizophrenia” appears in cultures around the globe, but its manifestations tend to differ from one culture to another – as do the cultural attitudes surrounding it.  Our “normal” perception of the world is really just a hallucination created by the brain in response to environmental stimulae, so is it really so strange when someone’s perception is slightly different than the norm?  Pondering all of these things was what kept me the most engaged with this book.  

Sabrina’s point of view is a very ambitious one to take on – that of a schizophrenic girl.  I am in no way qualified to tell you whether this is a realistic portrayal, but I was really impressed.  The writing is beautifully descriptive without feeling gratuitous and further than that I think that for a man, the author did an amazing job of writing a realistic teenage girl.  I was especially moved by Sabrina’s attitude toward her illness.  She’s experienced some form of hallucination since early childhood, so it feels comforting and normal to her.  She doesn’t feel right without her hallucinations.  And my heart broke a little bit when her parents – who used to be so encouraging of her imaginative games – began to disapprove.

“My dad smiles and pulls me so close my shoulder bumps into his ribs and I have to cross my legs to catch my balance.  –You know, Sabrina, sometimes I wish you could stay a kid forever– he says.  –Promise  something?  Even when you do get older and grow up, stay this perfect for me.–  My eyes light up and I smile.  –Sure thing, Dad– I tell him.  –I promise.–“
As you can probably tell from that passage, there are a few interesting quirks to the writing.  There are no quotation marks: all dialogue is shown in italics and separated by dashes.  Also, the narrative skips back and forth abruptly in time with almost nothing to indicate that it’s happening.  Flashbacks and the main story are told in present tense.  All of that may seem annoying, but I have to say that while I was reading this, none of it bothered me.  I think that the abrupt shifts in time are confusing and unsettling, but they illustrate Sabrina’s mental state perfectly.

So here's the source of my disappointment: all pondering aside, I guess in the end I do believe that schizophrenia is a mental illness, and that hallucinating your way through the world is quite a bit more dangerous than it is beautiful.  I thought that the author and I were on the same page about that for most of this book.  When the love interest Alec was introduced – so full of angry convictions – I was fascinated by the idea that Sabrina’s view of him was incorrect.  She's so wrapped up in her visions of his glowing eyes and familiar shape and the future that she imagines they've already had together.  When you read just his words – his plain words – without any of her extra perceptions, he seems antagonistic and foolish – maybe even a little dangerous.  She seems to miss out on who he really is – a confused, violent young man.  Or so I assumed, and that assumption fueled a lot of my interest in this book. 

And then I got to the ending.  (I swear – I should just have that engraved on my tombstone.  It would work on so many levels!  Okay, maybe just two levels.)  The ending is just incredibly unrealistic, in my opinion.  Alec proves himself to be everything Sabrina thought he was, even appearing magically at exactly the right time – just as her hallucinations told her he would.  Sabrina achieves near perfect lucidity just in time to regret her actions, and of course they all learn a very important lesson.  Blah blah blah.   I guess I wanted the consequences to be more real, and I didn't want to see Sabrina realize so quickly and easily that she needed help. And I don’t think that schizophrenic hallucinations are likely to lead a person to her soul mate. 

However, if you love happy endings and you’d like to read a very well written book from the point of view of a schizophrenic person, I think this would be a great choice.  For this old skeptic, it was just okay.

Perfect Musical Pairing
Cate Le Bon - Greta

This is one sad, sad case where a you tube video of the song that I chose does not exist (reviewer problems).  And there's no way that I'm picking a different song, because this one is just perfection.  Luckily I found it on her myspace page - so click the link above to listen.  Cate Le Bon creates eerily beautiful, almost unsettling music.  These lyrics are so perfect:

"In the morning
The universe shines
From under her skin
The delicate pattern
Of places she's been
Her baby days
Coiled up inside her
Like ribbons all tied"

3/5 Stars
Readventurer C Signature
14 Comments
Kelly link
3/23/2012 10:34:53 pm

The ending killed it for me, too. I was on board for a long time here, especially since James actually nailed schizophrenia (rather than conflating it with dissociative identity disorder) but then it became Message.

One of the things I thought about for a long time -- given that Sabrina's mind made her world a lot more creative, did you think Alec really existed? I'm still wondering if he was actually a character or if he was a creation of her own mind.

Reply
Catie (The Readventurer) link
3/25/2012 10:20:53 am

I love that idea, Kelly. I think that would have been really interesting if he'd done that. But, with the epiloge (SPOILERS) - where Sabrina is on meds and lucid, and Alex is around (and her parents love him!!) - I don't think it's true. My personal opinion is that he's real.

Reply
kelly link
3/26/2012 11:28:45 am

BAM: ALL SPOILERS HERE.

But (and it's been months since I read this) if I remember, Sabrina was reluctant about taking the meds all together, which leads me to think maybe she's reacting against them in some way. They're working but she's resistant TO them working within herself, and she's telling herself that her parents love Alex, etc., as a way to react against the medication. It changes her so much, and she never wanted to be changed.

It's a far-fetched reading, I realize, but I think the possibility still exists all within her head. I'm not sure I ever bought that she was truly lucid. And I'm still on the fence whether or not he was real because I think it could go either way (and honestly - that made the book more interesting for me because I wasn't entirely sold one way or the other).

Sam link
3/24/2012 07:26:03 pm

I have seen several mixed reviews for this book. People either generally love it or think it's an okay-ish read. I reckon I might fall into the second category as it doesn't quite sound like my type of thing. I'm glad you thought the writing was beautifully descriptive without feeling gratitious, but it's a shame the ending didn't work for you. Still, great review!

Reply
Catie (The Readventurer) link
3/25/2012 10:23:50 am

Are you planning on reading it Sam? It's true - everyone seems to love it or just think it's okay. I haven't seen too many people hate it completely so that has to be good, right? Thanks!

Reply
Heidi link
3/24/2012 11:40:21 pm

LOVE your first paragraph, and couldn't agree more. I find it absolutely fascinating how diseases can be culturally constructed and vary from place to place. I've often wondered how many stories throughout history have been affected by these perceptions (like was Joan of Arc crazy, or did she really hear the voice of God?). I've been fairly torn on this book, and I'm afraid to say your review just justified my fears. I find the concept interesting, but I'm getting fairly sick of 'wrap up happy' type endings that don't seem complete or realistic given the situation. Also the writing quirks seem potentially annoying, but also the type of thing that you will completely forget about after about 20 pages and get immersed in the story.

Reply
Catie (The Readventurer) link
3/25/2012 10:27:13 am

Thank you so much, Heidi! I was actually really surprised that the writing quirks didn't bother me. I've dropped other books completely for similar things, but I think that he put it together so well - it wasn't confusing (or if it was, it fit with the story). Super neat endings are a killer for me too.

Reply
Jasprit link
3/25/2012 04:15:56 pm

Awesome review Catie, I hadn't heard of this book until your review, but it's certainly got me intrigued, I'm not really sure how I'd cope with it though, is it quite emotional? And that song by Cate Le Bon sounds so haunting!

Reply
Catie (The Readventurer) link
3/26/2012 04:24:15 am

I'd say it is pretty emotional Jasprit! It also flows really well. I had a hard time putting it down.

Reply
VeganYANerds link
3/25/2012 05:06:28 pm

The cover of this always catches my eye! Great review, Catie. I don't mind happy endings but sometimes I know it's not the right outcome and then they don't sit so well with me. I would really like to read this.

Reply
Catie (The Readventurer) link
3/26/2012 04:25:03 am

I think you might like it! And, it comes out tomorrow!

Reply
Maggie, Young Adult Anonymous link
3/25/2012 05:37:21 pm

Catie, only for you would I click on a myspace link. :)

Honestly, I'm more interested in the issues you brought up in your first paragraph than the book! -Sorry, Brian James.-

Reply
Catie (The Readventurer) link
3/26/2012 04:27:21 am

I didn't even know that myspace was still around - apparently it's all about the music these days. Or maybe it's just all about the oldster music. :) I know there are some great books out there featuring characters with mental illnesses (pretty sure Flannery even has a shelf!). I wouldn't mind checking out more. But yes, this book just wasn't for me.

Reply
ruby flores
10/5/2013 11:32:26 am

what the plot development chart for this story? (rising action, climax, falling action)

Reply



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