Piece of Mind by Michelle Adelman; W.W. Norton & Company; ISBN 978-0-393-24570-7; 304 pages, $25.95.
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – I was enchanted by this novel by Michelle Adelman, who is a teacher here in San Diego. It tells the story of a brain-damaged woman from that woman’s interesting, often humorous, and at times frustrating, point of view.
The protagonist, Lucy, is well read, has deep, often startling thoughts, and has a talent for drawing. However, when it comes to some of the more ordinary things in life – prioritizing her tasks, keeping her living spaces and clothing orderly, trying to be physically coordinated – she is farblondzshet, lost, confused, perplexed.
Lucy, who can be quite charming in her own way, is a devotee of old comic book characters; has a fabulous relationship with animals, most particularly a polar bear named “Gus” at the zoo; and knows more about coffee than many plantation owners. She drinks it incessantly.
The novel begins with Lucy’s life before she is orphaned, and is developed through three important relationships: her brother; a brain-damaged employee of a local coffee shop; and an elderly woman customer of that same coffee shop.
We watch with fascination as Lucy is forced to grow from utter dependence to semi independence, and we can’t help but cheer her on. Knowing her thoughts (because she narrates them), we recognize her as a nice young Jewish woman, one who is totally devoid of either maliciousness or cynicism.
I found myself wondering about her love of zoo animals. I think she and the animals recognized each other as being trapped; Lucy in her body; Gus the polar bear, and others, in their enclosures or cages.
Unlike most visitors to a zoo, Lucy didn’t simply look in on the animals in a quick pass by; she would sit quietly in front of them for hours, often sketching them on her drawing pad. One can imagine that Lucy, posing to the animals no threat, only quiet companionship, became one of their favorite visitors.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com. Any comments in the space below should include the writer’s full name and city and state of residence, or city and country for non-U.S. residents