My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward
Author(s): Mark Lukach

International Bestseller

A heart-wrenching, yet hopeful, memoir of a young marriage that is redefined by mental illness and affirms the power of love.

Mark and Giulias life together began as a storybook romance. They fell in love at eighteen, married at twenty-four, and were living their dream life in San Francisco. When Giulia was twenty-seven, she suffered a terrifying and unexpected psychotic break that landed her in the psych ward for nearly a month. One day she was vibrant and well-adjusted; the next she was delusional and suicidal, convinced thather loved ones were not safe.

Eventually, Giulia fully recovered, and the couple had a son. But, soon after Jonas was born, Giulia had another breakdown, and then a third a few years after that. Pushed to the edge of the abyss, everything the couple had once taken for granted was upended.

A story of the fragility of the mind, and the tenacity of the human spirit, My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward is, above all, a love story that raises profound questions: How do we care for the people we love? What and who do we live for? Breathtaking in its candor, radiant with compassion, and written with dazzling lyricism, Lukachs is an intensely personal odyssey through the harrowing years of his wifes mental illness, anchored by an abiding devotion to family that will affirm readers faith in the power of love.

Review(s):
Honest and heartfelt, My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward tells the difficult story of a marriage tested by mental illness, and reminds us that true love is never easy.
Lukachs rare combination of tenderness and ruthlessness is what makes this book more interesting than your typical illness narrative.
An honest and rewarding memoir of a couples compassion and love for each other.
This gorgeous memoir gives readers a raw and unvarnished account of what its like to live with and love someone with a severe mental illness. There are moments of gut-wrenching sadnessbut, ultimately, the story is hopeful, even triumphant. This book basically tore out my heart and then lovingly sewed it back in place.
My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward is a compelling memoir and a heartrending tale of love, madness, and redemption. Like a long-distance trail runner, Mark Lukach embarks on a harrowing journey deep into the woods of psychosis and through the dark twists and turns of his wifes illness and gradual recovery. But his loyalty to her never wavers, and his story is a testament to the healing power of love and endurance.
Lukach lyrically transforms our understanding of love, mental illness, patience, and devotion in this stunning memoir. With moving and touching prose, My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward describes what its like to have the picture of your life smashed in an instant and subsequently reassembled miraculously.
The deeply passionate account of the couples journey through Giulias psychotic break and recoverythrough it all Lukach explores the fragility of the human mind alongside the resilience of true love and partnership.

ISBN:9780062422941