The Harvard-trained neuroscientist and
New York Times
bestselling author of
Still Alice
returns with a breathless, page-turning,
and heartbreaking novel about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder and the complex effects this has on her identity, her relationships, and her dreams of a career in stand-up comedy.
Maddy Banks is just like any other stressed-out freshman at NYU. Between schoolwork, exams, navigating life in the city, and a recent breakup, it's normal to be feeling overwhelmed. It doesn't help that she's always felt like the odd one out in her picture-perfect Connecticut family. But Maddy's latest low feels devastatingly low, and she goes on an antidepressant. She begins to feel good, dazzling in fact, and she soon spirals high into a wild and terrifying mania that culminates in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. As she struggles find her way in this new reality, while also rejecting the security and approval found in a traditionally "normal" life for a burgeoning career in stand-up comedy, Maddy will have to figure out how to manage being both too much and not enough. With her signature "deep empathy and insight" (
Booklist
), Lisa Genova has crafted another profoundly moving novel that makes complicated mental health issues accessible and human.
More or Less Maddy
is destined to become another classic like
.