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Article Title

Fig

Authors

Emma Patton

Keywords

Excellent, Young Adult, schizophrenia; obsessive-compulsive disorder; childhood; mental illness; mother-daughter relationships; self harm; suicide

Document Type

Book Review

Abstract

Bad things happen at age nineteen. That’s when Fig’s mom got schizophrenia, and it might happen to Fig too. So, no matter how old she is, Fig finds herself constantly counting down to that eventual age and wonders how things are going to be different then. As her mother’s mental illness worsens, Fig’s father becomes more and more frustrated with his own inability to save her. But Fig only feels responsibility and a sense of purpose at the thought that, if she does everything right, she might be able to set right whatever is wrong with her mother. Fig develops a series of personal sacrifices to make her mother better. She doesn’t always know why she is doing what she is doing, but what she does know is that she finds solace when she is sacrificing her comfort for her mother’s well-being. In fact, Fig feels that it may be her only purpose in life.

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