Fiction. MY NAME IS LEGION is a caring novel about the relationship between two women; one a rape counselor, and the other a victim. It is a good and essentially accurate, easily readable portrayal of a Multiple Personality Disorder and can help normalize the bizarre and sensational beliefs about this all too real and painful disorder -- Bennett G. Braun, M.D. Ms. Berry has done it again. She has combined a terrific story with great characters for a fabulous read -- Joe Trento.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
An intriguing premise is undermined by sensationalized characters, lugubrious prose and a contrived plot in this debut novel, a whodunit with a psychiatric twist. Cate Lawson, 42-year-old director of a rape crisis center in Riverton, Wis., is called to a hospital for an emergency consultation with 27-year-old rape victim Mandie Harwood. Mandie has multiple personality disorder, and claims it was Anna, a six-year old personality, who has been raped by a nearly retarded man named Will Forsyth. The case becomes a legal mess, with Forsyth clearly believing he had consensual sex with a grown woman, and things get uglier when a tabloid luridly exploits the story. When Riverton's opportunistic and publicity-seeking district attorney charges Forsyth with the crime, Cate agrees to house Mandie through the trial to shield her from prying reporters. Mandie's background is ripe for exploitation, too, as the orphaned child of a Vietnamese woman and a U.S. soldier, adopted by an American family and plagued with mental illness all her life. Cate's existence is also complicated; she's in the middle of a messy divorce, and lonely for her daughter, Gena, who has moved to Washington, D.C. The revelation of the mystery is anticlimactic, and Berry's undistinguished prose lapses into stylistic irregularities; sometimes it's cloying, other times overly clinical. Nuances of character, setting and mood are never firmly established, and the origin of Mandie's disorder is never fleshed out. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
". . . a caring novel about the relationship between two women; one a rape counselor, the other a victim. It is a good and essentially accurate, easily readable portrayal of Multiple Personality Disorder/Dissociative Identity Disorder and can halp normalize the bizarre and sensational beliefs about this all too real and painful disorder." -- Bennett G. Braun, M.D., Founding President, International Society for Study of Dissociation; Editor, Treatment of Multiple Disorder
"Ms. Berry has done it again. She has combined a terrific story with great characters for a terrific read." -- Joe Trento, Author, Executive President, Public Education Center, Washington DC
"Ms. Berry has done it again. She has combined a terrific story with great characters for a terrific read." -- Joe Trento, Author, Executive President, Public Education Center, Washington DC
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you liked the movie Sixth Sense, if you like psychological mysteries, you will like this novel by Sheila Berry. It is the story of a woman with a dissociative disorder (I am still stuck with "multiple personality disorder"), one of whose personalities is raped, and a series of events that involve a rape crisis counselor going through a divorce, local police, and an ambitious prosecutor. It is, as my wife, who reads three novels a week, says "a page turner," a "good read." I liked the story. Not having treated many people of this sort (I am a psychologist), but one memorable one whom I saw for about eight years, I do not have enough experience to generalize. I stumbled over one aspect which I prefer not to tell for the sake of the reader. All the rest, including the plot development, characterization of main players, and descriptive narratives were very believeable. If you are looking this fall for a novel that keeps your attention, keeps you turning pages for the next plot development which in good writing seems natural or "organic" to the characters, this is one that you will enjoy.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In Riverton, Wisconsin, Regina Coeli Hospital has admitted a rape victim with apparent multiple personalities. When the hospital doctor and a counselor from the nearby Rape Crisis and Domestic Abuse Center attempt to examine the patient, the young woman turns into a ferocious animal. Cate Lawson, on her first day as director of the rape crisis center, tries to talk with the animal-person, but luckily the ?host? Mandie Harwood resurfaces to take charge of her body.
Mandie explains to Cate that she was not raped, but her six-year old ?insider? Anna was raped by a low IQ person Will Forsyth. He insists he had consensual sex with an adult. Ambitious local district attorney Paul Josephson sees the case as headline news material that will give his career a tremendous boost. He goes after Forsyth with a vengeance, leaving Cate to wonder who really is the victim in this complex legal case.
MY NAME IS LEGION is an exciting complex psychological legal thriller based on a real experience author Sheila Martin Berry dealt with in Wisconsin. The complicated story line is crisp and entertaining. The charcaters, especially Mandie and her insider cohorts, and Will come across as very real. Ms. Berry packs too many emotional subplots including the tangle of Cate?s personal life into the novel. However, these sub-plots do not hinder a great main story line from providing fans of legal-medical thrillers with an insightful yet entertaining look at multiple personality disorder.
Harriet Klausner
2 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I listened to an interview with the author on public radio. I was very impressed with her knowledge about unjust convictions and the criminal justice system. It appeared to me that she had significant and valuable experience to relate to listeners and readers. I was hoping for a book related to that subject. Unfortunately from what I can understand so far this book is about what to me is the quackery of "multiple personalities". If you like well written quackery books this might be perfect for you. But if you are looking for any kind of practical or realistic knowledge than don't waste your time. This author sounded in the radio interview that she had a lot to offer. I hope she writes a book about the criminal justice system in addition to this kind of nonsense.
Kenneth Ellman
email:ke@kennethellman.com
Kenneth Ellman
email:ke@kennethellman.com
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