Author: Melanie Cane, M.D.
Genre: Memoir, Standalone
Published: 2008
Personal Rating: 4/5
Yearly Count: 44
From the back cover:
In 1993, Jimmy Breslin wrote a front page story for New York Newsday, about Melanie Cane, a troubled young psychiatrist who "let love take her too far." Fifteen years later, melanie tells her side of the story in Poisoned Love, a heartbreaking and staggering account of her spiral into the depths of mental illness and what she did under the guise of love.
With extraordinary courage, Melanie provides intimate access to the thoughts and feelings leading to her desperate act, as well as an unvarnished account of her subsequent psychiatric treatment and the legal and social consequences of her crime.
Melanie's steady progress toward recovery involves an emerging understanding of the relationship between her various diagnoses and her attachment to an abusive mentally ill father.
Her story teaches people about survival and success in the face of severe mental illness.
I was asked if I'd be interested in reading this memoir and found the topic to be interesting, so I accepted the offer. I was curious to find out what goes on in an individual's mind that could cause them to react in such a despicable manner. Melanie satisfied my curiosity by describing her inner turmoil with intimate accounts and raw emotions.
Melanie's story is one of survival and I can see how it may help people to understand the progression of mental illness; however, I felt it was incredibly repetitive. And, I didn't care for the mixture of patient and doctor as one person. She'd be relaying an event as a patient, then immediately explain it as a doctor the next. That was too close for me to trust her judgment. I would have preferred her psychiatrist to be the one to help the reader understand.
There was an accomplice in Melanie's scheme and my one nagging question is why didn't she implicate him in a stronger manner? I realize that she needed to focus on herself, but doing that doesn't exclude his involvement and the pain he encouraged. Also, I understand that bringing him down, doesn't bring her up; however, again - he was an accomplice. She has learned from the experience, but has he? Maybe the possibility of his career being in jeopardy scared him straight, but that just doesn't seem right to me - he was essentially let off scot-free.
I have read many memoirs about people that have had many bad things happen to them, and I don't recall every feeling the way I do now. I'm glad that she has persisted in seeking treatment and has pursued a life of doing the right thing (being aware of her feelings and acting appropriately), but there's a 'poor, poor me' aura that hovers over the book. Maybe it's her brutal honesty or candid accounts of her actions, but I never had much sympathy for her. Maybe she doesn't want it, so all is well - I don't know. What I do know is that I wish her the best.
Poisoned Love did turn out to be an interesting read, as I had hoped. Different aspects of the book earned varying ratings, but my final rating has been based mainly on the fact that I was driven to pick up the book whenever I could. Whether I liked the writer/writing style/choices or not, I continually wanted to read it. And, the book is not just about the main event; it gives great insight into psychology, law, relationships and life.
