My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward, Mark Lukach
My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward, Mark Lukach
17 Rating(s)
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My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward
A Memoir

Author: Mark Lukach

Narrator: Josh Bloomberg

Unabridged: 8 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 05/02/2017

Synopsis

A heart-wrenching, yet hopeful, memoir of a young marriage that is redefined by mental illness and affirms the power of love.Mark and Giulia’s life together began as a storybook romance. They fell in love at eighteen, married at twenty-four, and were living their dream life in San Francisco. When Giulia was twenty-seven, she suffered a terrifying and unexpected psychotic break that landed her in the psych ward for nearly a month. One day she was vibrant and well-adjusted; the next she was delusional and suicidal, convinced that her loved ones were not safe. Eventually, Giulia fully recovered, and the couple had a son. But, soon after Jonas was born, Giulia had another breakdown, and then a third a few years after that. Pushed to the edge of the abyss, everything the couple had once taken for granted was upended. A story of the fragility of the mind, and the tenacity of the human spirit, My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward is, above all, a love story that raises profound questions: How do we care for the people we love? What and who do we live for? Breathtaking in its candor, radiant with compassion, and written with dazzling lyricism, Lukach’s is an intensely personal odyssey through the harrowing years of his wife’s mental illness, anchored by an abiding devotion to family that will affirm readers’ faith in the power of love.

About Mark Lukach

Mark Lukach is a teacher and freelance writer. His work has been published in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Pacific Standard, Wired, and other publications. He is the ninth-grade dean at the Athenian School, where he also teaches history. He lives with his wife, Giulia, and their two sons in the San Francisco Bay area.

Reviews

Goodreads review by emma on March 25, 2020

The only reason I read this was because it was trending as an Audible deal, and only cost $5 or something like that. But the only reason I was looking for an audiobook in the first place (they’re not my personal preference) is that I had a credit, so...taking advantage of a deal when I wouldn’t have......more

Goodreads review by Cori on September 25, 2018

I am a book snob. I admit it. I rip apart verbage, punctuation, pace, character arcs, you name it. I am critical. I give this book five stars without batting an eye. I don't think people can possibly recognize how personally terrifying Mark's level of candor and transparency is. The courage it took......more

Goodreads review by Brandon on March 12, 2017

"Scared to death, scared to look / They shook." - Mobb Deep, "Shook Ones Pt. II" I'm trying to deflect how much this book affected me by starting off with a hip hop lyric, but it's actually the most appropriate way to review this book for me. It scared me. I've been incredibly fortunate in my life in ma......more

Goodreads review by Amanda on July 01, 2018

Sometimes a title of a book stands out and cries out to be read and for me this screamed “read me” From the first page you get a deep sense that Giulia and Mark, are in a very loving relationship. When she gets a new job she doubts herself and isolates herself from Mark. This is the first chink in th......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on August 11, 2018

I am a sucker for love stories, and “My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward” was no exception. As an aspiring allied health professional, memoirs about mental health and mental illness are invaluable to me. Sure, in school we learn about psychopathology, but we rarely cover the human side of mental diso......more

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