Review: But Inside I’m Screaming by Elizabeth Flock. 01/25/2018

The subject matter in this book was thought proving and interesting. The story was well written and the characters all fit their role especially the main character, Isabel Murphy. The story read as if the author herself was in a situation like this because her details, issues, and emotions were spot on. Elizabeth Flock was honest and sincere throughout this story that at times it was emotionally painful. I connected with the book more than I thought I would. Deep embedded emotional memories never fully fade away.

Isabel Murphy was a successful international news reporter. One day she freezes up on live national television while trying to cover breaking news about Princess Diana being in a deadly car crash. Isabel later woke up in Three Breezes psychiatric hospital and she doesn’t know why she is there. She felt she wasn’t like the patients there and wanted to be released. Isabel struggles while she is there and had a hard time facing reality of having a breakdown. Isabel did have stressful issues to deal with, such as her husband had left her, she thought her parents were disappointed in her and now she messed up at work in the middle of a news cast. However that’s only the beginning, things are going to get worst before they get better.

Isabel is forced through a series of treatments, taking medication, going to therapy groups and participating with other patients. She is very rebellious the first couple of weeks but she knew in order to be released she needed to accept that everything doesn’t have to be perfect and that she was the only one who could turn her life around and begin a new path. The author broke the story down to different phases of Isabel’s recovery which helps people who read this story that do or do not have an emotional disorder to understand the inner emotions a person may carry and how the disorder can control the mind…. ( )

This was an interesting read about a woman living in a psychiatric institute after a nervous breakdown whilst reporting the death of Princess Diana. While I liked the premise of the book, I felt it lacked depth. I would liked to have had more character development and been given a deeper insight into Isabel's battle with depression and suicidal tendencies. Also, I was left wondering how her relationship with Alex finished after being glimpses of domestic violence. An interesting insight into the lives of patients living in one of these hospitals, but could have been better. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. As someone who has been in therapy and suffers from depression I thought Ms. Flock accurately portrayed the emotions and feelings of someone suffering from depression. Very well done! ( )

I read a review of this book, and it appealed to me, as I am generally interested in books which deal with such subject matters as depression, mental illness and suicide. However, I found it really difficult to finish this book - in fact, I dropped it twice, only to try again, and still didn't get to the end! Overall, I found it a total letdown. This is not a well written or interesting book, and none of the characters appealed to me in any way. ( )

Not nearly as good as Emma & Me. The main character is someone you want to shake and tell "Stop feeling sorry for yourself!" There are so many better books about mental illness out there. This one is a waste of time. ( )