Status Updates From You Are Not a Stranger Here

Reunion brings us a deterioration of body rather than of mind (or I guess of mind and body at some point.) The early death of a young and promising man is a horrible thing, but this was a more clearly defined tragedy than those in the other stories.. A beautifully crafted story that surprised me less than the others, but still moved me.

So I thought this could not get more eviscerating than Devotion, but War's End -- holy crap! I have seen depression nearly as bad as what is depicted here, but I never got fully inside of it to understand how it makes the depressed person's cruelties seem to them like kindness. A rotting body beside a rotting mind, both suffocating all around them. My heart hurts, and I cried, which I very rarely do.

Devotion-This is perhaps the most gutting story yet. The ways we hurt people we love out of jealousy and a longing to fill a gnawing emptiness rang so true. The way the reveal unfurls is brilliant. There was an opportunity for a blazing dramatic scene that would be a blast to write. The authorial choice to make the devastation so still, quiet and contained is bold and so true to these characters. Gorgeous! 5 stars

The Beginnings of Grief: "The nurse in her 20's, wearing lozenge-shaped silver earrings, like the ones my mother had on when I lifted her head from the oven to rest on my lap, asked me lots of questions about where I had been and what had happened." Turning crushing pain into passive suicidality. Eviscerating, and a 5-star.

I started this last week, and I am moving through slowly. It's beautiful, and it hurts.

Notes to My Biographer: Who doesn't like a senior citizen who has alienated all? There is a thin line between brilliance and insanity, but we clearly cross it here. Heartbreaking and oddly entertaining. 4.5-star

The Good Doctor: Mental illness remains the theme. How life takes a wrong turn, and addiction and depression are either the result or the cause of the end of hope. What does healing look like? Mercy?

I'm loving this book