Book #35: The Quiet Room: A Journey Out of the Torment of Madness
“When they finally settled on a diagnosis of schizo-affective disorder—some schizophrenia, some manic-depression—it felt like one of those everything-on-it bagels they sell int he deli. Poppy seed, sesame seed, onion, garlic, salt, pepper…crazy, loony, insance, cracked, cuckoo. Daffy, demednted, lunatic, mad, maniac, nuts, screwy, wacky—use your imagination.”
The Quiet Room: A Journey Out of the Torment of Madness is a look inside the life of someone suffering form schizo-affective disorder. Lori Schiller first began hearing voices after she graduated from high school. While she was able to keep her condition hidden from those around her for many years, she finally broke down after she graduated from university. In a desperate attempt to rid herself of the suffering, she attempted suicide. This event sparked a series of hospitalizations that only ended when Schiller’s doctor decided to try an experimental drug.
Following her initial suicide attempt and resultant hospitalization, Lori’s parents had to come to terms with Lori’s illness. While no one knew what was wrong with Lori, it was pretty clear that not everything was functioning as it should. While originally being in denial, Lori’s parents finally faced the fact that their daughter was extremely ill and would suffer from this condition for the rest of her life. Their only hope was that the doctors would find some way for Lori to manage her symptoms and lead a relatively normal, independent life.
Lori’s telling of her illness gives light to the confusion and denial that patients with schizophrenia face. For a long time, Lori is terrified to tell anyone about the things she hears. The voices that she is hearing are threatening, telling her that they or she will have to kill whomever she confides in.
Even though she was ill, the Lori that had existed before was still somewhere under the surface struggling to break free. Lori experiences frustration knowing that her university friends are off creating lives for themselves while she is stuck in a hospital making crafts designed for children.
The Quiet Room is told from the point-of-view of not only Lori, but her university roommates, her brothers, her parents, and her doctors. This provides the reader with insight not only into the experience of a person dealing with schizophrenia, but also how it effects the lives of those who care most about her.
