Family Illness by Eva Wechman
If Evan Wechman wanted to educate the public on obsessive-compulsive disorder, he could have presented the facts about the mental health disorder whose cases number 200,000 in the U.S. He could have explained that OCD occurs when people get caught in a cycle of extreme obsessions and compulsions, which cause great distress with which they cannot cope.
Or Wechman could have written a memoir about how, as a child, he suffered in silence from the effects of OCD until he learned to fight back.
He did neither.
In Family Illness (Austin Macauley), the author has written a novel, a story of fiction inspired by situations and episodes that similarly occurred to him or people he knew. It paints a detailed, realistic picture of a person with OCD, following him through childhood, schooling and into adult life. And it isn’t by accident that the word “family” is in the title — as Wechman so meticulously describes, this is a disorder that takes its toll on families, not just individuals.
As a child, young Steve looks for love from within his family. He gets it from his mother and father — it’s right there in front of him, but he fights it, almost doesn’t believe it. For mom and dad, the frustrations of parenting their son show through often — something that would raise doubt in any child. His brothers, on the other hand, distance themselves early from Steve, a situation that lasts throughout the book into adulthood.
STRUGGLING TO THRIVE SOCIALLY
As anyone with whom Steve comes into contact realizes, usually later than sooner, you can’t apply logic to an illogical person. Early on, he tells his parents that the devil wants to possess him. They try hard to allay his fears but to little avail. Later, he questions whether his normal physical interaction with a girl means he might have raped her. The paranoia goes on and on.
This demeanor naturally makes it hard for Steve to thrive in social situations. He has few friends. While some girls initially find him cute, things quickly turn awkward. And while his work ethic is good, he can’t seem to keep a job.
Wechman introduces us to a strong supporting cast. While his parents are dissected thoroughly, Steve also has teeth-pulling sessions with his social worker and therapist, Susan, who wants to help him but seems a victim to the usual frustrations.
Rabbi Feldman is more interested in losing a member of his congregation than doing noble rabbi things. When Steve’s family leaves the synagogue, Feldman offers to keep his door open. Open to flies, maybe.
Then there is his college roommate, John, who bends over backwards to support Steve and show him the love that he is never able to see. Steve pushes John out of his life when the consummate friend is standing right there, ready and willing.
FICTION THAT PRESENTS OCD FACTS
Family Illness presents an intimate, informative and compelling narrative of a family in turmoil because of their son’s OCD. Wechman’s writing style is captivating; much of the book consists of dialogue between the characters, which is fast paced, often heartbreaking, but very real.
By using the art of storytelling, Wechman has raised the bar in helping the uninformed understand a little more about OCD and attracts readers less embracing of something clinical. He has created a valuable tool to increase awareness and describe situations and conversations that work and don’t work in interacting with someone like Steve. You get a true sense of the disorder in an everyday sort of way.
Steve’s parents might be the best examples of how to handle things and how to cope — even though so much of their efforts seem futile. His mother passes on these words of wisdom to her son, “The world is a scary place, and you need to get tough.”
Can he do it?
