Tanya J. Peterson's Leave of Absence is a story about two people who
suffer immensely from mental illness, but through each other's friendship, they
are able to face their fears and slowly accept the hope of a new beginning.
Oliver suffers a huge loss and, finding it unbearable to keep on living, he
attempts to take his life. He ends up in a behavioral center against his will,
and finds himself warming up to Penelope, a patient who is unique in her own
way, and suffering from schizophrenia. These two friends, each battling their
own demons, reach out to one another in an effort to hold the other above water
and keep them going. Penelope attempts to convince Oliver that his life is
worth keeping, and Oliver and William – Penelope's fiancé –, attempt to
convince her that she is worth loving and her relationship with William is
worth saving.
The novel is a deep, heartfelt, touching novel about friendship, love, loss,
mental illness, and most importantly, the significance of human connection. It
is indeed heartbreaking to learn what mental illness can do to one's mind,
body, self-esteem, principles, and just about everything to do with a person.
This book gives us a glimpse of what goes on in a behavioral center, the
constant support that is available to these patients (from the techs to the nurses
to the doctors), the true nature of schizophrenia, the isolation these patients
feel as they are plagued by mental illness and shunned by everyone around them.
It reveals the bitter truth about how we act towards the mentally-challenged –
as though if we treated them normally, we would get their illness as well.
The novel also touches on loss and what grief can do to a person's psyche and
outer body. Losing someone we love is a horrible thing, and not only does
Oliver lose people he loved, but he also blames himself for it. This additional
emotion is dangerous, and because he is unable to mourn and grieve properly, he
is unable to move past that fateful day he lost them. He is severely tormented
by nightmares and physical manifestations of his thought processes that seem
real to him. With Penelope’s help, he is able to begin his journey towards
healing.
I highly applaud Peterson for such a brilliant work. It is beautifully written –
strong words that describe, portray, examine, and most importantly, show
everything about the themes that need to be seen and understood by the reader.
It contains some coarse language but not overtly so, and some descriptions are
only mildly gory in terms of the imagery of blood and gunshots that come to
mind. The only thing I found slightly confusing was the title; I thought the
title was perhaps a bit too simple given the depth of the themes in the novel.
Overall, it is certainly one of the best reads I have read in a long time, and
I highly recommend it to readers of any genre who simply love to read, whether
just for entertainment purposes or for more.
***I was given a copy of this novel by the publisher, in exchange for an
honest review.
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