Life Is But a Dream

Gr 9 Up—Dreamy, artistic Sabrina has always loved fairies and enjoyed creating fantasy worlds. As a child, her parents encouraged her, but she never outgrows her fantasies, and, at age 16, when she winds up in a mental hospital, her grasp on reality is tenuous at best. Sabrina is a case study in the unreliable narrator, and Alec, whom she meets in the hospital, is everything you'd expect in a Bad Boy character. He convinces Sabrina to stop taking the medication that is reducing the "static," but also making the pretty colors go away. Unfortunately, Sabrina's schizophrenia is at a life-threatening point and the medication was actually helping. When the two get caught in bed together and Alec is removed from the center, Sabrina's condition worsens. Her parents take her out of the hospital that does not seem to be helping, she runs away, and nearly dies. Alec turns into a Good Boy and saves the day, and Sabrina's life. All of the dialogue is in italics, which becomes problematic when the main character is seeing and hearing things and readers are unsure of what is truly happening. This plot device requires careful attention and can be confusing. The theme of mental health may attract readers, but the style, excessive use of simile and metaphor, and slow pace will need strong readers to stick with it. Save the dreams for later; recommend Sylvia Plath's classic The Bell Jar, instead.—Angela J. Reynolds, Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Bridgetown, NS, Canada