The Parakeet / / Espé.
Bastien is eight years old, and his mother is ill. She often has what his father and grandparents call “episodes.” She screams and fights, scratches and spits, and has to be carted away to specialized clinics for frequent treatments. Bastien doesn’t like it when she goes, because when she comes home...
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Superior document: | Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter EBOOK PACKAGE COMPLETE 2021 English |
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Place / Publishing House: | University Park, PA : : Penn State University Press, , [2021] ©2021 |
Year of Publication: | 2021 |
Language: | English |
Online Access: | |
Physical Description: | 1 online resource (156 p.) :; 148 color illustrations |
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Other title: | Frontmatter -- Teeth -- The Shirt with the Belts -- Grandpa -- Baby Blues -- The Es-tinguisher -- Mama’s Tried Everything -- Girlfriends -- Electroshocks -- School Friends -- Chestnuts -- Jean Grey -- The Social Security Inspector -- The Circus -- Wallpaper -- Cushions -- Spring Break -- The Visit -- Daddy -- At Breakfast -- The Parakeet |
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Summary: | Bastien is eight years old, and his mother is ill. She often has what his father and grandparents call “episodes.” She screams and fights, scratches and spits, and has to be carted away to specialized clinics for frequent treatments. Bastien doesn’t like it when she goes, because when she comes home, she isn’t the same. She has no feelings, no desires, and not much interest in him. According to the doctors, Bastien’s mother suffers from “bipolar disorder with schizophrenic tendencies,” but he prefers to imagine her as a comic-book heroine, like Jean Grey, who may become Dark Phoenix and explode in a superhuman fury at any moment.Based on the creator’s own childhood experiences, The Parakeet is the story of a boy whose only refuge from life’s harsh realities lies in his imagination. In his eyes, we see the confusion and heartache he feels as he watches his mother’s illness worsen and the treatments fail. Through his eyes, we see how mental illness can both tear families apart and reaffirm the bonds of love. Poignant yet playful, The Parakeet follows Bastien’s struggle to accept the mother he has while wishing for the mother he needs. |
Format: | Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web. |
ISBN: | 9780271090078 9783110754001 9783110753776 9783110754179 9783110753943 9783110745108 |
DOI: | 10.1515/9780271090078 |
Access: | restricted access |
Hierarchical level: | Monograph |
Statement of Responsibility: | Espé. |