The Isolation Door by Anish Majumdar

The Isolation Door

by Anish Majumdar

For most of his twenty-three years, Neil Kapoor has been desperate to move beyond the shadow of his mother’s schizophrenia. Once he enters drama school, he finally has the chance to find his place in the world. Surrounded by a group of students who, like him, have complex emotional needs, Neil falls in love with Emily, a lovely young woman dealing with her own demons.

But keeping two worlds hidden from each other proves to be too great a task for the emotionally fragile Neil. After his mother experiences yet another breakdown, he must confront the painful reality of how his father, his aunt, and the doctors have dealt with her illness over the years, each in their own flawed way. And as his beloved mother falls farther into darkness, he will have to make the most difficult choice of his life: uniting with his family, or breaking free from them forever.

Revised edition: This edition of The Isolation Door includes editorial revisions.

Reviewed by Lianne on

4 of 5 stars

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I won a signed copy of this novel from a book giveaway contest. This review in its entirety was originally posted at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2014/03/21/review-the-isolation-door/

The Isolation Door is narrated from Neil’s point of view as he struggles to carve out his own life while dealing with a major illness in the family. I do admit that I was a little perplexed somewhere halfway while reading the novel because it felt as though Neil’s social life–the friends he hangs out with, his new relationship–was more in the forefront of the story than Neil’s family life and his mother’s situation. Then I realised that this was exactly the point: Neil was just trying to live a life that wasn’t overshadowed by his mother’s illness.

The descriptions of what Neil’s mother was going through at the institution and the treatments and routine were both horrifying and brutal to read but also eye-opening in how difficult mental illness is. The Isolation Door overall was an interesting read that brings a lot of awareness on the topic of mental illness and its effect on both the individual and the family. Culture also factors into Neil’s experience in coming to an understanding of his mother’s illness as well as in his life in general, which was interesting to read. However I think his personal journey was far more affecting; it’s a stressful thing to experience and reactions to it is not always pretty but it’s human.

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  • Started reading
  • 20 March, 2014: Finished reading
  • 20 March, 2014: Reviewed