Night Falls Fast

Kay Redfield Jamison
Reviewed by Melissa Hurley
Kay Redfield Jamison's Night Falls Fast explores the history and science of suicide eloquently and passionately. The author, a manic-depressive who once attempted suicide, negotiates scientific queries and data - statistics, drugs for treatment, genetic factors - with the help of interwoven romantic narratives à la Sylvia Plath. This complex intermingling of fact and dramatic narrative - in the form of suicide notes, accounts of attempts, and tales of depression, madness, and unstable artistic temperament - creates a multi-layered and beautiful portrait of the suicidal mind.

The author's research reveals psychiatric and biological factors, that help the reader to begin to understand why an individual would take his or her own life. This will be informative and comforting to survivors who have lost a loved one to suicide.

Jaimison seems captivated by romanticized suicides. She references writers, artists, poets, and students who suffer from depression that eventually causes them to kill themselves. But, she does so in a way that evokes compassion and respect for an affliction that is - in contemporary society - highly stigmatized.

Her narratives describe lives filled with achievement, but clouded by despair. Individuals leave grieving families and friends who are left to grapple with overwhelming loss. In addition, she uses words, poems, and journal entries crafted by suicidal people as a structural basis for her writing. Her choice to do so furthers her compassionate portrayal of the depressed and enlightens readers curious about the mechanics of suicidal thought.

The entire book is imbued with an ethereal aura. This technique is effective in emphasizing the myth of suicides' romanticized suffering and tragic demise that was a prevalent notion in 19th and 20th century literature. This book is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to better understand suicide.