36. Set This House In Order

by Matt Ruff (478 pgs)

Rating: 5

Andy is 26, Andrew is about 24 years younger. Andrew is the name of one of about two dozen personalities that inhabit Andy's body. In the beginning, Andrew is a fairly stable individual, all be it suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder. However, over the course of the book, it becomes evident that many issues have been left unresolved leaving cracks in his stability.

I found Set This House In Order chilling at times, warm at times, and provocative always. I'm not sure how accurate it is when it comes to the experience of multiple personality disorder, but I did get into the idea of how having lots of people in your head would work. Ruff is insightful and tender. He turns an un-blinking eye to the types of trauma that causes MPD and realistically portrays the kinds of confusion and turmoil inherent in an MPD's life. Instead of being demeaning, he managed to empower the two main characters of the novel as they took charge of their illness and wrestled with the metaphysical/spiritual issues. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I really like this book.

Recommended to everyone, but particularly psychologist or anyone curious about issues of mental health.