Saturday, July 12, 2008

Get Well Soon, by Julie Halpern


Anna Bloom recounts her twenty-one days spent in a mental hospital. As expected, the story tracks her recovery from an anxious and nervous young woman to one with slightly more confidence, as she discovers that she can make friends and even find a boyfriend in a supportive environment.


Not a bad novel, but not an overly ambitious story either. There have been plenty of good novels about teenagers in mental institutions. This one simply doesn't do much. Anna's problems are never quite articulated and, in fact, seem to have more to do with the incompetence of her caregivers than any real issues. One gets the sense that her entire treatment experience was a waste, but even that particular angle is not explored.

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