Review by arigray9 -- The Watchmaker’s Doctor
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arigray9
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- Latest Review: The Watchmaker’s Doctor by G. M. T. Schuilling
Review by arigray9 -- The Watchmaker’s Doctor
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Watchmaker’s Doctor" by G. M. T. Schuilling.]
If you could go back in time and change a moment in your life, which one would you choose? This was the question that thirty-five year old Dr. Anaya Jones faces as she is about to die. The Watchmaker’s Doctor by G.M.T. Schuilling follows Anaya as she returns to her teenage years, changing her life course to attend college to pursue teaching. Plagued with the knowledge of how her life and the lives of those she cares about played out the first time around, Anaya is determined to live a better life for herself and work to make a positive impact on the lives of the people she loves.
As someone who lives with a loved one who manages Bipolar II, I appreciated the sincerity with which the author crafted Anaya’s experience with the disorder. It was not sensationalized and it mostly focused on her life, not the illness. Oftentimes, with more severe mental illness, there comes a heavy stigma and misunderstanding. With Schuilling being a knowledgeable activist in regards to mental illness, The Watchmaker’s Doctor is a realistic story about living with Bipolar Disorder. It was also refreshing to see a female character with this disorder, as it is severely under-diagnosed in women. Schuilling does a superb job of incorporating fantastical elements into otherwise realistic fiction. The Watchmaker’s Doctor is a short novel, but the time travel explanation is sufficient for the reader’s purpose and innovative in terms of the sci-fi time travel trope. I hope to see even more explanation of it and more about the watchmaker himself in future installments.
I have very few critiques of this novel. At times, I felt that the dialogue was awkward when characters would discuss Anaya’s illness. Although Anaya and her father have the shared bond of their illness, it seemed that when they would talk about medication it was uncomfortable. This could be because the novel is short and there wasn’t much time to go into it, or because the author didn’t want to put a heavy focus on it, but I almost feel like most talk about medication could be expunged. The only parts that seem relevant are the ones that are directly related to Anaya, and while medication can and should be discussed to minimize the stigma around it for treatment of mental illness, the way in which it was done seemed uncharacteristic of the rest of the novel.
Overall, I would give The Watchmaker’s Doctor a rating of 4 out of 4. The work was well written and well edited. Stories like this one are important to share because of the ongoing discussion that needs to happen surrounding mental illness. Not only does this novel contribute to that discussion, but it is also a good story on its own about living life to the fullest.
As the author described, this book is perfect for young adults. While there are elements of fantasy or science fiction in the time travel parts, that should not deter anyone who steers clear of those genres; the way it is included is accessible to anyone. It is important to know that there is mild mention of sensitive content (abuse and rape), so if readers are sensitive to those topics, they should proceed with caution. Most anyone looking for a good, short read will find it in this book.
******
The Watchmaker’s Doctor
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
If you could go back in time and change a moment in your life, which one would you choose? This was the question that thirty-five year old Dr. Anaya Jones faces as she is about to die. The Watchmaker’s Doctor by G.M.T. Schuilling follows Anaya as she returns to her teenage years, changing her life course to attend college to pursue teaching. Plagued with the knowledge of how her life and the lives of those she cares about played out the first time around, Anaya is determined to live a better life for herself and work to make a positive impact on the lives of the people she loves.
As someone who lives with a loved one who manages Bipolar II, I appreciated the sincerity with which the author crafted Anaya’s experience with the disorder. It was not sensationalized and it mostly focused on her life, not the illness. Oftentimes, with more severe mental illness, there comes a heavy stigma and misunderstanding. With Schuilling being a knowledgeable activist in regards to mental illness, The Watchmaker’s Doctor is a realistic story about living with Bipolar Disorder. It was also refreshing to see a female character with this disorder, as it is severely under-diagnosed in women. Schuilling does a superb job of incorporating fantastical elements into otherwise realistic fiction. The Watchmaker’s Doctor is a short novel, but the time travel explanation is sufficient for the reader’s purpose and innovative in terms of the sci-fi time travel trope. I hope to see even more explanation of it and more about the watchmaker himself in future installments.
I have very few critiques of this novel. At times, I felt that the dialogue was awkward when characters would discuss Anaya’s illness. Although Anaya and her father have the shared bond of their illness, it seemed that when they would talk about medication it was uncomfortable. This could be because the novel is short and there wasn’t much time to go into it, or because the author didn’t want to put a heavy focus on it, but I almost feel like most talk about medication could be expunged. The only parts that seem relevant are the ones that are directly related to Anaya, and while medication can and should be discussed to minimize the stigma around it for treatment of mental illness, the way in which it was done seemed uncharacteristic of the rest of the novel.
Overall, I would give The Watchmaker’s Doctor a rating of 4 out of 4. The work was well written and well edited. Stories like this one are important to share because of the ongoing discussion that needs to happen surrounding mental illness. Not only does this novel contribute to that discussion, but it is also a good story on its own about living life to the fullest.
As the author described, this book is perfect for young adults. While there are elements of fantasy or science fiction in the time travel parts, that should not deter anyone who steers clear of those genres; the way it is included is accessible to anyone. It is important to know that there is mild mention of sensitive content (abuse and rape), so if readers are sensitive to those topics, they should proceed with caution. Most anyone looking for a good, short read will find it in this book.
******
The Watchmaker’s Doctor
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Watchmaker’s Doctor by G. M. T. Schuilling
