false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173907156m/343712.jpg 343712 3 <i>Halfway House</i>, Katharine Noel's triumphant debut, does far more than expose the highs and lows of battling mental illness; rather, it leaves readers with a sense of longing that transcends the subject matter. Told from the perspective of five family members, Noel expertly captures each character's essence with unapologetic honesty, creating sympathies that would falter under a less gifted writer. The result is a profound look at how a crisis can both destroy and reinvent a seemingly typical family. <p> Set in rural New Hampshire, <i>Halfway House</i> tells the story of the Voorster family, whose lives are upended when 17-year-old Angie suffers a breakdown and is eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder. As Angie shuffles between hospitals, dorm rooms, halfway houses, and her childhood home, the side effects of her disease and treatment impact each member of her family. Her father Pieter, a Dutch-born cellist, retreats into himself, while her mother Jordana begins an affair. Angie's brother Luke finds comfort in his girlfriends, especially Wendy, whom he meets while at college in Wisconsin. Eventually, familial relationships must be broken in order to be reinvented. In the process, family dynamics must shift, and each character must confront their own demons in order to emerge on the other side. <p> From <i>One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</i> to <i>Girl, Interrupted</i>, the subject of mental illness is hardly uncharted in modern literature. What Noel does is go beyond the disease to explore the consequences of crisis, both punishing and redemptive, without compromise or excuses. That is what makes <i>Halfway House</i> a wonder, and a pleasure to behold. <i>--Gisele Toueg</i> 334054 2006 Halfway House (An Evergreen book) total:236|5:42|4:84|3:74|2:27|1:9| 236 831 385 55 4 1 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Apr 08 17:26:34 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 08 17:27:39 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 10 15:23:14 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 10 15:28:21 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Aug 08 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed Oct 29 09:25:36 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 29 09:26:30 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Dec 03 08:21:26 -0800 2007 Mon Dec 03 08:21:26 -0800 2007
Anyway, this was a surprisingly solid little (well, biggish) family drama, w...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Nov 15 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 15 16:55:21 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 15 16:55:21 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Nov 13 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Sep 24 05:33:18 -0700 2008 Thu Nov 13 06:01:35 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Nov 23 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 15 15:30:03 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 24 05:06:28 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 16 10:55:19 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 10:56:31 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Sep 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 24 09:15:39 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 24 09:17:13 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Aug 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 16:59:04 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 17:00:19 -0700 2009 I enjoyed this book. ]]> 2 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Aug 04 09:12:04 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 08 21:39:53 -0700 2007 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sat May 30 19:35:52 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 19:36:25 -0700 2009 1 0 false false Fri Oct 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 22 14:19:32 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 31 06:37:01 -0700 2009 1 0 false false Wed Mar 12 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 18 21:17:39 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 18 21:17:58 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jul 19 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 14 07:13:48 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 19 19:02:44 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Aug 08 09:57:37 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 12 19:54:14 -0700 2007 more...]]> 1 0 false false Sat Feb 21 14:10:41 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 14 15:24:39 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 21 14:10:41 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Jun 06 20:54:42 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 06 20:56:32 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 13 11:20:16 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 13 11:27:32 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 26 11:50:19 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 26 11:52:11 -0700 2007 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=343712