BRAIN DAMAGE

I'll bet you are thinking I am finally admitting to the reason behind my style of writing but actually this is a book review and that is the title. 

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I just finished Brain Damage by Freida McFadden and would like  to recommend this medical mystery.  Freida McFadden is a doctor and I trust her medical knowledge.

This is the second book of hers I have read that I have felt the urge to recommend. I previously enjoyed The Devil Wears Scrubs very much.  Dr. McFadden roped me in early with her wry sense of humor. I am just glad I read The Devil after I had been a patient in the hospital and not before. Somethings are best not to be aware of prior to a hospital stay.

Brain Damage is the fictional story of  Charly, a doctor who is shot in the head and wakes up in a hospital not knowing her name, is unable to move, a good chunk of her skull is missing and the left side of her body is effectively gone as she has no awareness of it. Charly has no idea who shot her or why. 

The author takes you into the Charly's life before the shooting and then into her extremely limited but I found facinating life after. She flip flops between the timelines with ease. 

The therapy and recovery I found quite informative. The patient's thought process during her recovery was surprisingly interesting and believable.  Dr. McFadden made the recovery seem so authentic that I actually felt like I was inside and understood Charly's damaged brain.

I couldn't help at times but wonder if Gabby Giffords might have gone through similar phases.

Sounds like a fun read doesn't it?  At first glance-- NO-- but oddly, the author's sense of humor balances out what could have been the bleakness of recovery by making the book attention grabbing, informative and at times very funny.   It was not a case of making fun of a dire situation but the simplicity and literalness of Charly's limited thinking often triggered a smile or chuckle. 

One sequence in particular had me ever so grateful I didn't have a mouth full of liquid at the time, especially since I read in bed. I totally lost it as this poor woman tries to justify in her damaged mind that having a rapist as a therapist possibly might be a good thing. You will just have to read it to find out why that is hilarious and not cruel or twisted. 

Did I feel guilty sometimes laughing at this poor woman's hapless struggles? Yes at first I did, but then I realized the author's humor was actually a perfect fit so I relaxed, learned and enjoyed. Just the right mix of humor and pathos.  I would like to say I couldn't put it down but I actually did--once. I finished it in two sittings. Rare for me as I normally only read for an hour or so each night.  

If you like medical mysteries with a delightful mix of wry humor thrown in, then I highly recommend this book and Dr. McFadden as an author. 

Enjoy--- I certainly did.