Set This House in Order

The story follows Andrew and Penny, both living with dissociative identity disorder. Andrew has known about his condition for years and has learned how to manage it, while Penny does not yet understand what is happening to her. Watching Andrew try to help her figure it out is a central part of the story. What makes this book so powerful is the care put into the characters. Each of them has multiple personalities, and they all feel distinct and thoughtfully developed. Some appear more often than others, but none of them feel exaggerated. Everything feels very real. That realism is also what made it difficult to read. The backstories, especially Penny’s, are very heavy. Andrew’s past is painful as well, but Penny’s affected me much more. At times I had to put the book down because it was emotionally overwhelming. I started it months ago and needed breaks before I could finish it. I would not recommend this book to everyone. It deals with serious trauma, and you need to be in the right headspace for it. Still, I am glad I read it. It is intense, detailed, and deeply human. The ending is not exactly happy, but it also is not tragic. It feels realistic, and that suits the story. * TW: complex trauma, child abuse

Ein außergewöhnlicher und großartiger Roman. Matt Ruff erschafft hier ein Buch, so kreativ, dass auf den ersten Blick vielleicht skurril anmutet, doch schafft er es spielend mit einer tollen Mischung aus Komik und (bitterer) Realität den Leser in die Welt (und die Köpfe, samt ihrer zahlreichen Bewohner) von Penny und Andrew eintauchen zu lassen. Die Figuren die er erschafft sind alle auf ihre eigene Weise so menschlich und nachvollziehbar. Und auch die zugrunde liegenden Düsteren, z.T verstörenden Gegebenheiten, die diese Figuren geformt haben, werden absolut mit der gebotenen Ernsthaftigkeit behandelt. Dass das Buch in solche emotionalen Tiefen eintaucht, deutet sich schon zu Beginn an und entfalte über die Länge des Buches seine ganze Wucht. Absolut empfehlenswert!