Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

This is yet another Parnassus recommended novel where the moniker of "messy" was both used and is fitting. I mostly really like messy, especially if it involves families, and bonus points if it is both multi-generational and lengthy. This is neither of the later, but enjoyable none-the-less. The thing that is unnamed that niggles around the edges of this novel are that Martha, the main character, has a mental illness. She has had it her whole life. Her alcoholic mother has not just ignored it, she has tried to bury it, and now, in adulthood, Martha's husband Patrick has left her as a direct result of it. Martha has terrible rages, has problems with sounding normal at work or at parties, is unreliability, makes snarky remarks which make her difficult to get on with and yet she inspires great affection from those who make the effort. She’s smart and shows odd moments of empathy. These are quite a barrier for her, and lead to her husband, Patrick, leaving her--but at no point does someone recommend treatment. It is a real oddity, and distracting for me as a mental health professional. Martha’s family are individually either odd or difficult, but they are all interesting and have their redeeming points. Patrick has his own sorrows – his lack of family, his struggles with his problematic love for Martha. This is a good read, and it is not a garden variety book.