Life Is But a Dream by Brian James Review

Title: Life Is But a Dream
Author: Brian James
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publish Date: March 27, 2012
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 234
Source: Publisher

Sabrina, an artist, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her parents check her into the Wellness Center. There she meets Alec, who is convinced that it's the world that's crazy, not them. But when Alex starts to convince Sabrina that her treatment will wipe out everything that makes her creative, she worries she'll lose hold of her dreams and herself.

Sabrina has always had a vivid imagination. From the time she was a little girl, she'd draw the world differently than other children, leading her to be applauded by friends and family who valued her creativity. Now, however, her creativity is seen as something detrimental - something bad. Sabrina is diagnosed with Schizophrenia, and she's sent to an institution to balance her with the right medications so she can function normally. Sabrina, however, is struggling, and when she meets Alex, she's convinced that he's right; she doesn't need medication. The world is simply trying to stifle her. But Alex, as perfect as he might seem to Sabrina, has no idea just how much she needs her treatment, and by the time she realizes it...it could be too late.

You know me and issue books, my friends. We're like peanut butter and jelly. I like reading contemporary fiction that truly has a firm grasp on reality, and I have a strong preference for novels with backbone and sincerity. Life Is But a Dream by veteran author, Brian James, is one of those novels. With heart and soul, as well as a no-holds-barred account of mental illness, this novel is a maze of twisted madness that leaves you reeling. Giving a voice to the otherwise faceless, nameless disease, the book teeters on the edge of a full-scale meltdown, but takes great care in drawing you into a world that's so very different than ours that you'll wonder if it is exactly as the main character sees it.

Writing about mental illness is a sticky subject, as well as an extremely difficult topic to tackle, so I have to commend the author the Life Is But a Dream for never failing to verge on the unspoken. There's a certain grace in giving a voice to such a disease as Schizophrenia, especially as it's one I don't know too much about. We're brought into Sabrina's world through her first person POV, giving us a chance to see the world through her eyes. Her mind, in and of itself, was a world. The things she believed and saw had me alternating awe and pity for her. When you added Alex's character to the mix, her world becomes unhinged, and her reality shifts, leaving the novel feeling almost off balance, which by the way, is an extremely disconcerting feeling. Alex was a scary character for me. He wasn't overtly terrifying, but the type of hold and sway he held over Sabrina was hard to watch. I found myself hating him for what he was doing to Sabrina, but there was a part of me that wanted to shake him and help him, too. I appreciated that Life Is But a Dream didn't hesitate to make me uncomfortable because there is strength in doing so. I will say, however, that I was a bit thrown with Sabrina's thought processes at times. She would flash back to a time I wasn't aware of, and I'd be lost for several pages. Then, we'd just to something else, and I'd experience it again. It was a bit dizzying, rather like vertigo. I did consider though, that perhaps it was meant to be that way, and I simply missed that.

All in all, I thought Life Is But a Dream was a skillful take on a tricky subject, and it's one that I appreciated for its flaws, as well as its strengths. I give it a strong 4 out of 5, and I'd recommend it to all fans of YA and upper YA, especially those who enjoy contemporary fiction and issue books.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.