I Never Promised You A Rose Garden review

[alobear]

 At a basic level, I Never Promised You A Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg is the story of a girl who goes to a mental hospital for three years after trying to kill herself.

But it's so much more than just that.  It's an exploration of how a rich imagination and some bad early experiences can cause the mind to create an inner world of such vividness and magnitude that it eclipses the real world entirely.  It's about how a mind can make rules and rituals for itself in an attempt to explain or mitigate the chaos all around, and how such protective measures can turn into self-torture if left to fester.

The style is lyrical and dreamlike, depicting Deborah's world view with such intensity and detail that I found it difficult to pull myself out of the book at times.  Her "sickness" spoke to the conflicts and desires that lie in the deepest corners of my mind, and there was a definite "there but for the grace of God" feel to the narrative for me.

It's amazingly powerful and astoundingly well written.

Comments

[lareinemisere.livejournal.com]

Sounds like I might like this...could I borrow at some point?

[alobear.livejournal.com]

Yes, indeed - I shall try to remember to bring it along next time I see you. There's apparently a film version of it, but I don't see how it can be filmed. I might put it on the DVD rental list, just to find out!