Every so often I feel really glad that I studied Philosophy as part of one of my A-levels because there are so many references to it in different things. I mean, not that I remember all of it, but there's some basic understanding there. Reading Love and Other Gods made me glad for this because, even though I found it a little tricky to get to grips with, I had some understanding of what the novel was about because of this background.
Love and Other Gods is a story about mental illness and growing up through it. Written in a sort of autobiographical style, it starts with the author struggling to get to grips with his mental health whilst a student at university and the shame and pressure he feels from his family as a result of it. He knows how important it is that he finishes university to his parents who came to England from Pakistan looking for a better life for their children.
The book delves into Michael's psychosis and the breakdown of relationships, jobs and a sense of security in his life as a result of it. A philosophy scholar, he breaks up these sections of truly raw retellings of his psychosis with deep philosophical thought and understanding.
I really admire the bravery in the author delving into these really dark moments in his life. He exposes some of his most traumatic thoughts and actions, which I'm sure a lot of us even shy away from thinking about, let alone speaking about. However, I found the intense philosophical exploration that was mingled with this really jarring. I think these two key components of the book didn't mesh very well together, and the book might have been better as two novellas, or with the philosophy side less intense. I think I would have found it almost impossible to keep up with if I had no knowledge of key philosophers/theory, and it made the book a much more difficult read than I anticipated.
I've given this three stars because I think it would make for an interesting read if you're interested in understanding more about how philosophy and individual mental health issues can relate to one another.
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