Michael Greenberg is a columnist for the Times Literary Supplement (London) and writer of fiction and criticism. In the summer of 1996, Greenberg's 15-year-old daughter Sally suddenly had a psychotic break, or as he puts it "was struck mad." His 2008 memoir Hurry Down Sunshine is the story of that summer, a heartfelt and honest look at how mental illness affects a family unit.
Author Pondered Whether to Tell Story
In a recent interview the author talked about struggling with whether or not to even tell this story. After finishing about 60 pages, he said "it felt gauche to be revealing our lives in such a public manner." He put the manuscript away for a year, but eventually came back to it. "It struck me that this book was missing from the rich literature of madness." Greenberg felt the need for a story to be told from "the other shore", that of the family of, and those closest to, the stricken.
Readers of Hurry Down Sunshine will see straightaway why the author may have had misgivings. There is the awkward feel of spying on your neighbors, seeing and hearing those secrets one just shouldn't hear. Worse, it's at a time of crisis.
Michael Greenberg handles all of it without overindulging in sentimentality. In fact, given the situation (he and his daughter are the most important people in each others' lives), one is amazed at the clarity and sometimes brutal honesty with which he assesses those involved, not the least of whom is himself.
Greenberg Desperately Attempts to Understand How, Why
As a father and primary caregiver (Greenberg is divorced from Sally's mother, and newly remarried), it shouldn't surprise us that he wonders what he did wrong, how he could not have seen this coming. It's clearly not a matter of neglect, or lack of love. The portions of Hurry Down Sunshine dedicated to his deep need to get to the heart of the matter are some of the most fascinating.
Greenberg reads about other writers who've had to deal with familial madness, particularly James Joyce and the extent to which he went to assuage his own daughter's schizophrenia, desperately seeking an epiphany. Greenberg analyzes his own behavior and that of his family, sometimes no-holds barred.
Upon Sally's return from an extended stay in the psych ward, worried about the strength of her meds and their effects, this loving and confused father goes so far as to swallow a full dose in order to understand what she's experiencing. The result is simultaneously humorous, embarrassing and touching. Fortunately, his important surprise visitor is unaware of his host's state.
It is moments like these where Hurry Down Sunshine is most effective. Greenberg could have easily turned this into an heroic scene. Instead, he shows us the full extent of how mental illness touches those involved, from the anger and desperation to the frustration and even the absurd.
Book Reveals Effects of Mental Illness on Family Members
One of the wise choices the author has made is not to try to tell the reader what is going on inside Sally. Readers, like the family, are given a final diagnosis (bipolar 1), but beyond the necessary occasional glimpses of her behavioral ups and down, this story is really about Greenberg himself, and about family and extended family dealing with a horrendous situation.
Each of those involved, from parent and step-parents to concerned neighbors, doctors and patients on the ward and their families to friends, feel the shockwave to varying degrees, of one girl's severe illness. This is the point that Michael Greenberg's Hurry Down Sunshine makes so well. Marvelously written, this book is an essential read for anyone dealing with a loved one's illness.
Greenberg, Michael. Hurry Down Sunshine, 2008, Other Press, 232 pages. (isbn: 978-1-59051-191-6)
