Books › The Trick is to Keep Breathing
The Trick is to Keep Breathing
First published 1989 · 236 pages
An agonizing yet witty plunge into the fragmented, detached reality of clinical depression, saved by a biting sense of the ridiculous.
What it feels like
Reading this novel is an immersive, unconventional experience that meticulously mirrors the fragmented reality of clinical depression. The narrative pace is deliberately meandering, demanding patience as it weaves through unusual text spacing, journal entries, and impressionistic passages that capture a profound sense of lassitude and detachment. Yet, the heavy, agonizing atmosphere of grief and isolation is pierced by vivid, sensual flashbacks and a deeply ironic, self-mocking tone. It feels like navigating an impersonal healthcare system alongside a narrator whose biting wit and sense of the ridiculous ultimately become tools for survival. This is a psychologically acute, formally inventive read for those who appreciate a thoughtful, funny, and deeply accurate portrayal of mental illness and the slow, difficult crawl toward potential renewal.
- Mood
- detached
- melancholic
- absurdist
- Tone
- ironic
- self-mocking
- agonizing
- witty
- Pace
- meandering
- Themes
- clinical depression · grief and loss · impersonal healthcare · isolation · finding self-reliance
- The writing
- Unconventional and impressionistic, utilizing unusual text spacing, journal entries, and interviews to meticulously capture the fragmented reality of mental illness.
- The arc
- Moves from agonizing detachment and severe depressive lassitude toward a self-reliant, ironic sense of the ridiculous and potential renewal.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate formally inventive, psychologically acute fiction that tackles heavy subjects with a biting, self-mocking wit.
Content notes
- clinical depression
- grief
- death of a partner
- psychiatric hospitalization
- eating issues
About the book
Meticulously observed, agonizing and funny, this unconventional account of clinical depression marks the novelistic debut of the author of the praised short-story collection Blood. Drama teacher Joy Stone has become severely depressed following the death of her married lover. Surrounded by his effects in the house they briefly shared, she can't summon the will to work or even to eat, nor can she benefit from the concern of her friends. Interspersed flashbacks to the day of her lover's death have a sensual, physical quality that contrasts vividly with Joy's present detachment. The nature of Joy's illness--and its accurate depiction, captured partly by an unusual spacing of the text in addition to journal entries, interviews and impressionistic passages--makes her a difficult choice for a narrator: readers may lose patience with her lassitude or be unwilling to put in the time needed to decipher the basic plot. However, the ironic, self-mocking tone that ultimately saves Joy also saves the narrative. Faced with an impersonal health care system, her sense of the ridiculous takes over, and with it self-reliance. Galloway delivers a thoughtful, witty chronicle of depression and potential renewal.
Description from Open Library.
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