Title: An Impossible Wife: Why He Stayed: A True Story of Love, Marriage, and Mental Illness (The Impossible Series)
Author: Rachael Siddoway
Publisher: The Gap Press
ISBN: 9781733619448
Genre: Biography & Memoir, Romance, Mental Health
Pages: 211
Reviewed by: Lily Amanda
Hollywood Book Reviews
An Impossible Wife: Why He Stayed is a deeply revealing and personal text by Rachael Siddoway which looks at the struggles of living with someone who has bipolar disorder. For Mitch, Sonja was the love of his life. His wife began showing unusual signs of mental health problems earlier on in their marriage and it took them years to get the correct diagnosis for the illness. Her illness did not affect her husband only but their children as well, as they struggled to come to terms with her impulse-driven episodes. Mitch’s and Sonja’s story is one of irrepressible love that remained unbroken despite the circumstances.
This book exposes the frustrations of bipolar disorder not just for the immediate family but also for the patient. Sonia struggled with suicidal thoughts and compulsive spending which consequently led to plunging the family into financial debt. Amidst all, Sonja was a wonderful mom to her three children even as she struggled to accept the illness as being part of her. The title of this text tied so well with the narration in the book. Further, the tone of voice was very passive and fitting for this type of memoir.
The concise chronology and remarkably intelligible descriptions will draw readers’ emotions from within. As the insightful book details what it is like to love and live with a person with bipolar disorder, it leans heavily on hope; hope for a better tomorrow. It also emphasizes the need to get a proper diagnosis for mental illness so that one can get proper treatment.
The stigma surrounding mental health keeps many people quiet, confused, and undiagnosed, and I certainly appreciated the searingly honest account that summed up this yarn. An Impossible Wife: Why He Stayed: A True Story of Love, Marriage, and Mental Illness(The Impossible Series) by Rachael Siddoway is an immensely relevant and heartfelt text that will very likely touch a reader’s soul.