Title: Everything Is Fine
Author: Vince Granata
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 303
My GoodReads Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Vince Granata was an only child until age 4
when the miracle of IVF gave him three siblings. Triplets Christopher, Timothy
and Elizabeth looked up to him, had raucous playtime sessions with him and
built many lovely memories together.
Twenty years later, Timothy became
schizophrenic, and from there stemmed the biggest tragedy of their lives as a
family when Tim stabbed their mother Claudia to death. While Christopher and
Elizabeth cannot imagine someone they shared a womb with acting out as he did,
their father continues to stand by Tim and his need for medical aid, while
Vince takes it upon himself to understand schizophrenia in an attempt to make
sense of their lives and so as not to lose sight of his own love for Tim.
The writing is moving and kind, as Vince
throws light on the family dynamics, the love that bound them together and the
illness that stabbed the core of the family. As Vince shares the happy memories
of his family, we are given a glimpse into how Tim’s mind betrayed him,
twisting those memories around.
At every step, Vince has taken his role
seriously: as his parents’ deputy and as chronicler of the tragedy that has
befallen them. Even as a grown man, he sees himself as his mother’s deputy,
wanting to forgive and understand his brother.
Vince dips into his memories to remind
himself of all that was good about Tim and how schizophrenia took it away.
The author gives us an understanding of
schizophrenia, how the illness sneaks up not only on the affected person, but
also on the family. The book fills you with compassion for those suffering from
mental illness, which we all fear and look upon with distaste.
The book is both deeply personal and well
researched. The author drowned himself in books and studies about
schizophrenia. He tells us about the laws governing the treatment of
schizophrenics in the US, about his fears that he failed his brother.
The research is not limited to reading alone.
The author has spent time talking to family members of those affected by
schizophrenia, doctors and social workers and patients living with
schizophrenia.
To those of us who use the word,
schizophrenia, as an insult or a slur, this book is an eye-opener. The author
calls for more schizophrenia stories to widen our awareness of the illness.
The name of the book comes from the phrase,
Everything is Fine, which Vince’s mom used to use to preface her texts to him,
when giving him updates about Tim. Everything is Fine was a way of
de-escalating the situation, preventing the buildup of stress, until the time
when the word, but, needed to be appended to the phrase.
(I read this book on NetGalley. Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley.)
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