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The Edge of Every Day
- Sketches of Schizophrenia
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
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Publisher's Summary
The debut of an important new literary voice: Marin Sardy's extraordinarily affecting, fiercely intelligent memoir unflinchingly traces the path of the schizophrenia that runs in her family.
Against the starkly beautiful backdrop of Anchorage, Alaska, where the author grew up, Marin Sardy weaves a fearless account of the shapeless thief - the schizophrenia - that kept her mother immersed in a world of private delusion and later manifested in her brother, ultimately claiming his life.
Composed of exquisite, self-contained chapters that take us through three generations of this adventurous, artistic, and often haunted family, The Edge of Every Day draws in topics from neuroscience and evolution to mythology and art rock to shape its brilliant inquiry into how the mind works. In the process, Sardy casts new light on the treatment of the mentally ill in our society. Through it all runs her blazing compassion and relentless curiosity, as her meditations takes us to the very edge of love and loss - and invite us to look at what comes after.
What the critics say
“A shape-shifting debut memoir about a family's coming to terms with schizophrenia.... Essayist and critic Sardy delivers an extraordinarily ambitious and accomplished narrative about significant challenges. She chronicles the immense difficulties in trying to maintain a semblance of sanity while both her mother and brother suffer through schizophrenia that they refuse to acknowledge, with the rest of the family in various states of denial as well.... Illuminat[es] mental illness from the inside out.... Both powerful and disturbing.... [An] impressive debut.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred)
“Accomplished.... Sardy skillfully reflects the ‘narrative crisis’ that occurs in people with mental illness. The book itself offers a glimpse of the reality of living with schizophrenia and the multiplicities and contradictions that accompany the disease.” (Helen Thomson, The New York Times Book Review)
“Pushcart nominee Sardy displays her superb skills for criticism and cultural journalism in this remarkable, beautifully written memoir of her family’s lifetime struggle with schizophrenia.... Succeeds brilliantly in conveying the realities of mental illness in a memorable manner. Should be required reading for mental health professionals.” (Dale Farris, Library Journal, starred review)