Book Review: She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
Topic: She's Come Undone
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb is a novel about a girl called Dolores Price and her numerous trauamatic experiences growing up and how they affected her. She is an amazing character and even more so considering she was created by a male author.
A couple years ago I read,
I Know This Much is True by the same author and I loved it. I was expecting another good book when I read
She's Come Undone and I wasn't disappointed. This was Wally Lamb's first novel and certainly deserves all the accolades it won. This novel is incredibly powerful. I felt an immediate attachment to the character, Dolores, and felt like I was with her as she had to fight her personal demons and discover answers within herself. As her life unravels around her and she finally gets professional help, I felt like cheering. It's a book about mental illness and depression but it's not a depressing story. In fact, it's uplifting because of the way Dolores changes and copes with everything thrown at her.
This advice from the psychiatrist treating Dolores is quite profound I think:
" You orchestrate happiness, Dolores - you work at it. You don't catch it as it hurls towards you like a football."
Dolores is an unforgettable character. I grew to love her and care for her.
She's Come Undone is a wonderful novel, alternating between powerful gut-wrenching scenes and laugh out-loud moments. It's poignant, engrossing and thought-provoking. A real gem.
Posted by expat-writer
at 12:01 AM GMT