Customer Reviews

Halfway House: A Novel

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
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I stayed up late into the night reading Halfway House until my eyes stung, then started early the next morning, in my eagerness to return to this story, these people. The gift of Halfway House is the strength of its characters. They are true to themselves in their smallest actions and biggest moments of drama. They make mistakes, they love hard, they are real and unforgettable. On one level, this is a book about mental illness and its repercussions. But it's not the story you may have read before, in which a person is depicted as a victim of mental illness, that diagnosis (whatever it may be) taking the place of character. Rather, the writer shows how Angie's manic depression is one facet of who she is, and while its repercussions shake the whole household, the lives of her parents and brother are equally multi-faceted and well developed. Another thing I admire in its fresh treatment of mental illness is the way that the book shows the cyclical nature of Angie's disease as she goes on and off medication. This is the rare novel that manages to be both sprawling and focused. The chapters remind me of short stories in the sense that many of them hinge on quiet moments with large consequences. Yet tension builds from chapter to chapter, which is why I found the book so hard to put down. I simply loved it.

I read an online review of this book in my Amazon recommends.I took a chance,and I just finished this incredibly gripping read in less than 2 days.I actually have a hand cramp from holding the book for so long without rest.
I felt like it was my family,or so many families out there who have to deal with mental illness and family stress.I didn't want this book to end.I can't wait to read what Ms.Noel comes out with next.I highl recommend this book!You won't be dissapointed.

It is not surprising to read that the author of HALFWAY HOUSE Katharine Noel, has spent time working with the mentally ill as this book is very believable as well as beautifully written. Noel describes the repeated roller coaster rides that define the life of manic/depressives realistically and without undue sentiment. Though we sympathize with Angie we never forget what a difficult, needy and often unattractive person her mental illness has made her. Yet through her experiences she retains insight into life and at times a sense of humor. The book tells much of the story from the viewpoint of Angie's mother, father, brother, and brother's girlfriend/wife. These characters are all well drawn - warts and all.

Before I picked up this book I thought it to be a Memoir. But turns out it is "just" a novel :) Well not really. The author did a wonderful fictional job of capturing Bipolar Disorder through the eyes of the family. It is about a New Hampshire family and the daughter Angie suddenly becomes victim to this disturbing "brain malfunction". The family really goes through a lot of ups and downs. The father Pieter is a celloist. Her mother Jordana (not really sure what she does) but she seems a little unstable and she "cheats" on her husband and Angie's brother Luke just sort of turns away from her and acts as though she is not sick.

Very Intriguing Story-If you've yearned for a deeper understanding of Bipolarism through the eyes of something beyond Doctor's text book theories. Please pick up and enjoy.

Reminiscent of "Ordinary People," this novel tells the story of an academically gifted teen, who is also a champion swimmer, who develops mental illness, in this case bipolar disorder. Angie's journey is also told from the perspective of her cellist father, activist mother and younger brother, Luke, who has up until Angie's illness, felt overlooked in the family. We also hear from Luke's college girlfriend Wendy, a levelheaded young woman who can't help but feel that she sometimes takes second place in his life to Angie.

The family naturally feels the strain, as Angie struggles to recover some semblance of her old life, even with debilitating medication side effects and repeated hospitalizations. Her condition is described so well, it's hard to believe the author doesn't have firsthand knowledge of mental illness (though I'm not saying she does or doesn't). But the characters all come across as real people, not stereotypes. The story arc is similiar to "Ordinary People," only with the omission of the sympathetic, miracle working therapist. In fact, the only major flaw is the lack of attention to just how Angie manages to recover. We never see her discussing her condition with a therapist. Usually, insight into one's condition is necessary for recovery, as well as medication and supportive family/friends. All of a sudden, she's markedly better, and though we root for her, not a lot of clues are provided as to why. But the ripple effect of major mental illness is brilliantly done here.

I happened to come upon this book in the library. I couldn't put it down. The characters are well formed and following their thoughts and experiences is truly like being in a different place and time. I look forward to other works by the author.

I couldn't believe that this was this authors first novel. It is absolutely awesome. Her writing gives you a very vivid picture of what it must be like to live with someone with bi-polar disease. It seems that the book would be depressive, but it is just the opposite. It is insightful and captures the compassion and anguish that this girls family feels as it struggles to cope with her illness. The story is told beautifully; literally couldn't put it down until I finished it.

I thought the author did a wonderful job of exploring how mental illness affects the family and friends of those afflicted. I feel I truly gained an understanding and empathy for those who are affected by a mental illness.

Angie Voorster is the epitome of the all-American girl: successful, attractive and well-liked. A good student and champion swimmer, she is bound for college. That she is a bit manic is chalked up to normal teenage anxiety and pressure. She is high-spirited after all! But when during a swim meet Angie dives into the pool and stays at the bottom, the Voorster family finally realizes that all is not well with Angie.

Katharine Noel's first novel, HALFWAY HOUSE, follows the Voorster family in the years after Angie's breakdown and subsequent bipolar disorder diagnoses.

With the incident in the pool, Angie and her family --- her younger brother Luke and parents Pieter and Jordana --- set out on the long road of trying to understand Angie's disorder, stabilize it and cope with it. Of course, it is toughest for Angie. She misses a year of school and graduates late. She is heavily medicated and still swings between mania and suicidal depressions. She lives in a series of hospitals and facilities apart from her family.

But each family member is challenged by her illness. Angie's condition begins to pull apart her parents' relationship. Pieter, a professional cellist, becomes withdrawn and introspective. Jordana, who had been having an affair, feels exposed, guilty and needy. They struggle to keep their marriage intact.

Luke, less ambitious and successful than his sister in their adolescence, flies under his parents' radar, practically living with his high school girlfriend before eventually going away to college and falling in love with a mild-mannered student who is the opposite of his sister in many ways. This college girlfriend, Wendy, feels that Luke is more committed to his sister than to her --- and in many ways she is right. After years of dealing with Angie's unpredictability and emotional and physical needs, Luke is centered on his sister.

And as Angie grows into adulthood she feels it necessary to assert her independence from the family that, of late, has defined themselves by her illness.

Noel's prose is lovely; poetic yet realistic and very readable. She portrays her characters with honesty and intelligence, allowing them flaws and a gritty humanity while keeping them likable.

Angie's manic and depressive episodes are stunningly written. Both extremes feel claustrophobic and intense for the reader. Noel's descriptions of Angie's thoughts and actions are unflinching and often uncomfortable. But this is also what makes the novel unique and stunning.

HALFWAY HOUSE is about a family once ideal but now surviving the best way it can in a difficult and highly charged situation. Noel lets the Voorsters each respond to the crises in their own way, never allowing the reader to forget that this is Angie's story.

In Angie Voorster, Noel has created a memorable character, one who is warm and amazing, strong and sometimes frightening. While it is mostly Angie's story, Noel's novel is also about the dynamics between Luke and Angie, and how they depend on each other.

HALFWAY HOUSE is a very intense and enjoyable debut from a young novelist with promise and talent.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

Katherine Noel's exhilarating novel, Halfway House kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. This novel explores the depths of mental illness and the stresses that it places on the family attempting to support their beloved family member. In this book, seventeen year old Angie struggles to get control of her once perfect life after the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Angie starts out in the book being a star athlete, scholar and popular teenage girl. On one day both Angie's life and the lives of all of the members of the Voorster family changed forever. Angie started her cycle with becoming hospitalized, place in a group home, and then attempted to return to her once normal life. Both Angie and her family try to convince themselves that she would be able to regain her once normal life. While Angie goes through the motions of her old life and struggles to cope with her new existence, the dynamics of the family quickly change. Angie's father, Pieter Voorster withdraws from his wife and family and throws himself into his work. Jordana Voorster also withdraws from her husband and family by getting her needs met through an affair with another man. Once the family learns of the affair, the family continues to withdraw from each other, although from the outside they continue to appear to be intact and functioning as a family. The youngest child, Luke finds comfort in his girlfriend Khamia and her family. Luke for many years seems to almost resent Angie for all of the attention that her new diagnosis of mental illness brings to both his family and his peers at school. Luke later becomes Angie's biggest advocate and protector. Luke takes on the role of ensuring his sister's safety and happiness, above the needs of others around him. This book tells a powerful story of a woman longing to regain her perfect life as a teenage prior to being diagnosis with mental illness.