“I Hope to Die Laughing.” On Tom Drury’s The End of Vandalism
The article discusses the impact of Tom Drury's novel, The End of Vandalism, on the author's mental health during a challenging period. It highlights how the book's humor and perspective on mundane life provided solace and a different way to view personal struggles. The author reflects on the value of literature in offering comfort and insight during difficult times.
- ▪The author experienced a bipolar mixed episode followed by depression, leading to a partial hospitalization program.
- ▪Tom Drury's The End of Vandalism was received through a book club and resonated deeply with the author.
- ▪The novel's humor and focus on everyday life helped the author find a new perspective on personal suffering.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Roughly a decade ago, shortly after I moved from Seattle to a nearby suburb, I slid into a bipolar mixed episode for a period of a month or so before it descended into straight depression. During mixed episodes, a person can experience severe agitation, deep melancholy, and other seemingly contradictory symptoms all at once. The mix combines to make a sort of dark energy that’s very difficult to endure until it’s finished. You ride it out, medicate, meditate, try to sleep, try to exercise, lose yourself in work, distract yourself, what have you. You do the best you can. The time in question, my situation became difficult enough that on my psychologist’s recommendation I checked into a two-week PHP (partial hospitalization program) at a local hospital.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Literary Hub.
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