Rebecca Markus undertakes a challenging novel with 'The Crazy One'. I have to admit that as a health professional, the term 'crazy' sends shivers down my spine, since it reminds me of the asylums of yesteryears where 'crazy' people were just housed or received horrific treatments that often ended in their tortured deaths. Putting that aside, the author provides a very good portrait of Lucy's gradual decent into psychosis from her original functional delusional personality disorder. Based on the author's profile, Lucy fits the description of an individual with an existing mental illness that also has secondary erotomania. She's had a childhood where she felt deprived of love & in fact, she started to fantasize about living a more exciting life when she was about 10. She suffers from OCD, although she has been controlling her symptoms. She was bullied in school. She is socially awkward and fades into the background wherever she goes. She is still financially dependent on her parents. Lucy has worked 8 years at a family owned mall store but nowhere else. Lastly & most importantly, she has no real friends. Amazingly, she has managed to stay in touch with reality for over 26 years but as she begins to decompensate, she blends more of her fantasies into her 'real' life and her delusions take over her damaged psyche. Before her move to Colorado, had any of her acquaintances or family tried to get Lucy to a psychologist for treatment, a diagnosis of erotomania would have been diagnosed and her life path could have been changed. In an April 2nd,2019, article in Psychology Today, by Dr. Joe Pierre, entitled "Erotomania: When Love is a Delusion", the doctor mentions that this syndrome has been around for a millennia, yet why individuals develop this delusion still remains unclear. Just like Lucy, in this novel, modern day sufferers find their hidden messages of love through social media. Ms. Markus highlights how Lucy follows Twitter feeds & other forms of current day social media to get her 'love' messages to keep track of Beau Castle and then Joel Ruskin. We sadly meet Lucy as she sits in the prison's visitors room meeting with True Crime writer Elijah who is planning to write a book about her crime. It is vital that you read/listen carefully to their conversations since there are comments that reveal important information about Lucy's mental status. Elijah's role in the novel is to seek out individuals who either knew Lucy or might remember her and be willing to provide him with behavioral information related to the stalking. In the novel, he is also the instrument that brings the story back to the current day. Having Lucy write a journal for Elijah was an excellent way to provide the reader/listener with insight into how Lucy's delusional thinking decompensated during her last few months in Colorado and why she became more violent. How two individuals living in a house didn't suspect that they had a stalker(not a ghost) is the one question I'm left to ponder. Towards the end of her stalking, Lucy pulled some rather spectacular stunts that most certainly would have had me questioning whether I was being targeted. Sadly, many stalkers end up harming their targets however, this is rarer with erotomania. I feel like I'm writing a review for the court to consider leniency for Lucy and instead of punishment, consider rehabilitation. I've explained her syndrome which is legitimate and based on Joel Ruskin's personality, I believe that he would be in agreement that placing Lucy in a treatment centre would better serve society. This novel evoked many feelings in the reader/listener community towards Lucy most of which was sadness due to her mental decline. Given this fact, knowing Lucy's ongoing difficulties and the bullying that she has to deal with in prison, shouldn't Lucy be transferred to a Mental Health Facility?😷 The author has very well portrayed an individual with this form of mental illness and the narrator helped with her excellent vocal characterizations. Although this was fiction, sadly the circumstances portrayed do happen in our society. If you are concerned about a friend or family member, get them to treatment as early as possible to avoid the tragic ending Lucy faced. I would recommend this book for those individuals who enjoy psychological thrillers and/or novels that delve into the functioning of the psyche.
I received a complementary copy of this audiobook at my request, from StoryOrigin in exchange for an honest review. I am not related nor friends with this author. The opinions expressed in this review are fully mine unless identified as that of another person.
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