Review of INFERNO
Motherhood can literally break you
I became a mother a year and a half ago. Navigating my own postpartum recovery from surgery, the massive, near-instantaneous shock of childbirth, and learning how to keep not one but two helpless infants alive is… overwhelming. Today many mothers, especially first-time moms struggle with postpartum depression or anxiety as we attempt to navigate reconstructing ourselves within our changed lives while bearing the responsibility of being these little babes whole world.
For some mothers, postpartum can come with a literal break from reality – a psychotic one. In Inferno: A Memoir of Motherhood and Madness, Catherine Cho intimately shares her experience with postpartum psychosis from a Jersey psychiatric ward while reconstructing her sense of self as a mother.
Cho was a relatively typical new mom. Married, living in London. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary in either direction. The daughter of Korean immigrants, postpartum comes with certain traditions, such as not leaving the house during the newborn phase. Cho, not being one for superstitions, decided to head to the US for a weeks-long road trip to visit family with her new son in tow.
Near the end of the trip on the East coast, Cho, staying with family, began her rapid psychotic decent. She started seeing the devil in her son’s eyes; shadows on the walls; cameras watching; she couldn’t sleep. Paranoia and fear set in, She was scared. She might have to do something drastic.
Her husband had to make the decision to take her to the hospital to be committed. She spends some time in the psychiatric ward, where the books narrative takes place, as if you’re sitting on the couch in the communal space having a conversation with her about why she is there and how she ended up there.
Her story weaves chronologically through her time in the ward, stepping back to places in her childhood and formative years, past relationships, earlier times with James, her husband, as she figures out who she is, and how she ended up there.
It’s a wonderful, terrifying, moving story. She narrates the audio, so of course I listened to this book. Her voice, almost sounding as though she is overtaken with anhedonia while recording, adds an experiential layer to this story that I wasn’t expecting. It’s a wonderful read; quick, easy, and enjoyable. A good add to the memoir enthusiast’s TBR. It’s actually several years old, though I don’t recall seeing it until earlier this year when I purchased it. Not sure how I missed this one!
Published: August 2020
Publisher: Henry Holt
Format: Audio
If you think this sounds interesting, bookmark these other great reads:
Sociopath: A Memoir (2024) by Patric Gagne
Beautiful Country: A Memoir (2023) Qian Julie Wang
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