Many college age girls lead lives of quiet desperation.

The Mind Reels

By: Fredrik deBoer Published: 2025 168 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

The book follows Alice. Alice has severe bipolar disorder. This doesn't come out until she's at college. It's entirely awful. Going from least to worst bad, we see: large weight fluctuations, social fallout, impulsive sex, being committed, psychotic and manic paranoia, and depression so deep she can't make it to the bathroom.

What's the author's angle?

Normally I don't talk about the angle for a fictional book, but this book deserves (demands?) an exception. DeBoer is known for many things. (And I would say that he's one of the few Substack writers where I read 90%+ of what they write.) One of the big things he's known for is pushing back against the old vision of the mentally ill as tortured geniuses or the more modern quirky, actually it's kind of a super power narrative. This book was explicitly written to provide a very real depiction of what it's like to have a severe mental illness. (It succeeds by the way.)

Who should read this book?

If you like anything deBoer has written, I think you'll like this. His unsparing view of reality is his biggest charm, and it definitely comes through in this book. I know people who don't like deBoer's fiction, but who nevertheless liked this book.

If you've never heard of deBoer, but you like books where characters have an intense interior life, and there's not necessarily a hopeful "happily ever after" arc, I would also definitely recommend this book.

Specific thoughts: Most men (and women) lead lives of quiet desperation