Silver water essays

Violet remembers Rose before the mental illness hit her, as a beautiful, wonderful older sister. When Rose is fifteen, she has her first psychotic break. Rose’s mother, a musician, realizes that Rose is “going crazy,” even though the father, a psychiatrist, does not realize this.

Bloom evocatively portrays these disturbed individuals amidst backgrounds rich with love, familial relationships, and essential humanity. “Silver Water,” one of the stories in the collection, was chosen for inclusion in 1992’s Best American Short Stories. It tells about a teenager, Rose, who has a psychotic break.

Violet’s sister, Rose, starts experiencing schizophrenia as a teenager. Violet remembers Rose before the mental illness hit her, as a beautiful, wonderful older sister. When Rose is fifteen, she has her first psychotic break.

After ten years of fighting schizophrenia, Rose kills herself. Her struggle with the illness, the unspeakable anguish it brings to her entire family, and her eventual suicide are all hauntingly brought forth through the understated voice of Violet, who narrates her older sister’s life with precise, alive words and luminous imagery.