Title: Seasons of Insanity: Two Sisters’ Struggle with Their Elder Sister’s Mental Illness
Author: Elaine Taylor and Julie Hanes
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 9781543426731
Pages: 382
Genre: Memoir
Reviewed By: Ella Vincent
Pacific Book Review Star
Awarded to Books of Excellent Merit
Seasons of Insanity is a harrowing true story of a family affected by mental illness. Elaine Taylor and Julie Hanes have written a book telling about how they tried to cope with their sister, Jane, and her bipolar schizophrenia. This book starts with Taylor and Hanes dealing with Jane’s increasingly erratic behavior. As Jane gets older, she becomes more verbally abusive to her sisters and interferes with the care of their elderly mother. Taylor and Hanes become more troubled by Jane’s behavior and have to decide whether to cut their ties to their troubled sister or to help her get the professional help she needs.
Seasons of Insanity is an insightful and very well-written book. Hanes and Taylor write in great detail about how Jane’s manic episodes embarrassed them and drove the family apart. Readers will empathize with the sisters’ attempts to curb Jane’s destructive behavior. Jane is shown as a disturbed woman, but is also easy to sympathize with as well. The book shows that mental health is an ongoing issue that is complex and requires patience. Readers will see that Jane’s antisocial behavior is beyond her control.
This memoir also delves into the problem of caregiving as the sister’s battle over how to care for their ailing mother. Seasons of Insanity not only deals with Jane’s issues, but also deals with the dysfunctional relationship the siblings have with her. Seasons of Insanity would be best for readers who are dealing with family members who are living with mental illness. Fans of books like A Beautiful Mind or The Quiet Room will appreciate this account of people living with schizophrenia and the loved ones that are affected by their mental illness. Additionally, this would resonate with readers who liked Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle about her eccentric and emotionally unstable family.
This book could be given to readers in support groups with people with mental illness and their family members. Taylor and Hanes have written a memoir that will resonate with readers. Seasons of Insanity sheds light on an issue that is hidden too often, and is an educational book about family ties.
