The Collected Schizophrenias by Esme Weijun Wang

I was exposed to Esme Weijun Wang earlier this year when I read her essay “I’ve Been Committed to a Psych Ward Three Times – And It Never Helped” on Buzzfeed News. The article is excerpted from her first publication of nonfiction essays, entitled The Collected Schizophrenias and published in February 2019. Reading the Buzzfeed article and learning more about Ms. Wang’s life story in the process, I thought to myself, “I have to purchase this book immediately.”

As the title of her nonfiction essay collection suggests, Ms. Wang is diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and a host of other serious mental illnesses. She deals with symptoms both physical and psychological in the course of her illnesses, running the gamut from aches and pains to delusions that she is a corpse (as strange as it may sound, this delusion is actually well-documented in medical literature).

Prior to the onset of illness in her early adulthood, Ms. Wang attended Yale and worked as a fashion blogger. A major theme of the essays is her struggle to accept a “new normal,” a lot in life which measures success by different goal posts than the ones she knew before. The essays in The Collected Schizophrenias skillfully juxtapose the disparity between the author’s past and present. She maintains the voice of a skilled writer regardless of the inherent illogic of her subject matter, chronicling her descent into severe illness and subsequent treatment.

While not all readers will have personally struggled with mental illness, many will find Ms. Wang’s journey of personal growth in times of hardship to be relatable. Furthermore, the essays clearly demonstrate that while the author is afflicted by mental illness, she is more than a collection of symptoms; she is a person with memories, characteristics, preferences, and aspirations. I would suggest that the collection is an important contribution to the cause of destigmatizing mental illness and recommend it wholeheartedly as a result.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

I purchased Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty in 2017, I believe, after being intrigued by ads for the HBO miniseries based on the book. (I’m the type of reader who prefers to read the book before viewing any adaptations.) It’s been sitting on my shelf ever since, but with the premiere of season 2 on HBO this month, I decided that it was time to read the book so I could finally start watching.

Big Little Lies defies categorization, with attributes of dark comedy, mystery, and family drama woven into an exciting page-turner. Ms. Moriarty’s novel follows three Australian mothers as their children begin kindergarten together. Each woman faces her own personal demons, including domestic violence and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) stemming from rape. The women support one another over the course of the school year as all three endeavor to meet societal expectations as wives, mothers, and daughters. The work also plays out as a murder-mystery in reverse, with the opening chapters revealing that someone has died at the school’s trivia-themed fundraising event, but failing to disclose who or how until the book’s climax.

Although Ms. Moriarty’s work is certainly hard to put down, I will confess that I was able to guess a few of the “plot twists” revealed in the last third or so of the novel. The book proved to be slightly predictable in this regard, but this criticism is largely overcome by the insightful narration and dialogue found throughout. Big Little Lies employs “unreliable narrator”-style storytelling to showcase each character’s insecurities and personality flaws; while Madeline sees Jane as “pretty” and “slim,” Jane sees herself as “ugly” and “fat.” The narrative technique accurately captures the way that many women in our society critique themselves harshly while reserving judgment of others.

I cannot compare Big Little Lies the novel to its TV adaptation as I have not yet watched it. I can, however, recommend the book to avid readers of mysteries and family dramas. I plan to watch the TV show soon enough and will most likely add further works by Ms. Moriarty to my “to-read” list moving forward.