Title: Uncontrollable
Author: Sara Staggs
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
ISBN: 978-1685132019
Pages: 308
Genre: Adult Fiction / Drama
Reviewed by: Michaela Gordoni
Pacific Book Review
Casey Scott is a stellar civil rights litigator with an attractive husband, Jonah, and two small children. But she has epilepsy that is triggered by stress, and things like having the rudest, most demanding boss in the world, a doctor with no bedside manners, and an uncaring, conniving mother-in-law; all which really doesn’t help her brain to function normally. Casey is on the verge of completing some major professional goals when she gets some bad news about her epilepsy. This spurs her to undergo an invasive procedure to monitor her brain in the hopes of finding a cure. After this ordeal, things come to a head when she becomes unable to work and starts feeling like she is losing herself, and Jonah starts feeling like he is losing her, too. They begin to wonder what the future will look like and whether their marriage will be able to support the weight of Casey’s epilepsy and other tensions that they both face.
This novel is aptly named, as a lack of control can be applied to many areas of Casey and Jonah’s lives. This story is really about Casey, but it is also about Jonah and their family. The chapters alternate between Jonah’s point of view and Casey’s. Author Sara Staggs has done an amazing job of giving life to these characters; they seem like real people with real problems and realistic emotions that come with the situations they deal with. When you’re reading, it really is like being a fly on the wall of the characters’ lives.
Sarah Staggs is an excellent writer, and you can see pieces of herself in her writing. Writing about a woman with epilepsy who is struggling with her condition, career, and family life while alternating with her husband’s point of view and keeping the reader hooked is really not that simple. However, Sara Staggs is extremely knowledgeable and has done an excellent job of what many would make a mess out of.
Sara Staggs has created a compelling story that tackles complex themes with sensitivity and nuance. This is a book that anyone interested in adult drama genres should read. Well written, incredibly interesting, raw, and unique, Uncontrollable is a book readers are not likely to forget.
