Customer Reviews

Can You See Me?

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"This is a moving novel about the intertwined lives of a brilliant young man who succumbs in adolescence to the ravages of schizophrenia and his devoted but bewildered younger sister, who suffers along with him from that time onward. It will be of interest to anyone who cares not merely about emotionally troubled individuals, but also about the others in their lives who are in their own way affected by the emotional problems that afflict them.

"Ms. Brodoff knows first-hand what she is writing about. This story has clearly emerged not only out of her creative imagination, but also out of her own personal experience.

"The reader is led on an odyssey that weaves back and forth between the tortured travails of Doren as he struggles with his illness and those of his sister Sarah, as she struggles with the impact of her brother's schizophrenia.

"As psychoanalysts, we cannot afford to give oursleves the luxury of ignoring the people in a patient's external world as we delve into his or her inner one. We can be grateful to authors like Brodoff for reminding us of what we need to do."

Heartfelt, ambitious; one family's way of coping with the trauma, shame and secrecy of mental illness. A genuinely moving novel. (Publishers Weekly review, October 18, 1999)

Just because of illness, a family's love for one of its own never waivers - it just becomes harder

I felt virtually inside of Doren's mind as he wandered around hallucinating, talking to himself, and often a danger to himself and, somewhat, to others. The anticipation of something horrible about to happen was constant. It was amazing that this person could survive out on his own at all, and the book gives, with fearsome clarity, a chilling insight into the minds of many of the rambling, wild-eyed people one sees on the city's streets. The novel is full of engaging juxtaposition that keeps the pace moving along quickly. The contrast between Doren and Sarah's voices in the narrative was deftly and clearly handled. A real page turner, sensitively and intelligently written.

This story, of a young man's descent into his own private hell and his sister's attempts to save both her brother and herself from the all-consuming effects of schizophrenia, is extremely powerful and moving.

The story is told from the point of view of Sarah Solomon, a young woman trying to make a life for herself, and is interwoven with her brother, Doren's point of view. The story follows the relationship of brother and sister through a particularly difficult time in Doren's life, and explores the issues facing a family member that must struggle with the effects of mental illness on a loved one. The reader travels with Sarah and Doren on their journey, both physical and psychological, to help Doren.

The narrative pulls the reader in from the beginning and keeps the reader riveted for the entire book. The style of writing is fluid and the imagery is highly evocative. This is a beautifully written book. I could not put the book down, but at the same time I did not want to finish it.

I recommend this book for an intelligent reader who wants to learn more about schizophrenia and who would like an extremely compelling read.

This moving novel puts the reader inside the skin of a person suffering from schizophrenia, Doren. This book is also an exciting read, with a plot that's not predictable. The two voices of Doren and Sarah, brother and sister, take you into past, present and future: you see their lives building with some exciting climaxes and dramatic events. The book is beautifully written - the language is rich and the characters are layered, and there are flashes of humor.

You see and feel and live the way Doren and his family's life is wrenched by schizophrenia, and experience the times Doren is lost to his own life and his loved ones. Sarah's voice is intimate and anchoring, and lets the reader connect with it. We're rooting for both of them to survive and develop lives independent of Doren's illness.

There's no pat happy ending, but there's promise of change, a ray of hope. I feel people looking for an exciting read, as well as people interested in mental illness, should read this book. I recommend Can You See Me? highly.