Pearlie Wood

Altered Life Pearlie Wood

Abigail McKenzie was a bright, popular high school student with great dreams for her future. One day, mental illness struck and those dreams came crashing down. Or did they? In this fascinating psychological novel, we learn about schizophrenia from the perspective of eighteen year old Abby. She unexpectedly finds herself afflicted with a condition that has severe social stigma and for which there is no cure. We accompany her as she gradually loses mental clarity and the ability to function in society; and we follow her on the journey as she attempts to return to a normal life. By a cruel twist of fate in Abby's family, she ends up living in a boarding home where she meets persons from all walks of life who, like her, struggle with mental illness. The home's administrator and a new social club for mentally ill people challenge Abigail to confront her schizophrenia. She must now decide whether to continue living an altered life, or attempt to reach past her condition to the life she had once dreamed about.