Hell Gate Bridge: A Memoir

by Barrie Miskin

Overview

"Miskin's searing memoir about her experience with a mysterious mental illness during and after her pregnancy provides a haunting window into the state of health care in the United States."— The Washington Post, 10 Noteworthy Books for June 2024

A Poets & Writers Magazine Page One New and Noteworthy Book

A Write or Die Magazine Most Anticipated Book of June 2024

A Mom Egg Review Bookshelf Pick for June 2024

In the summer of 2016, Barrie Miskin faced a pivotal moment when her pregnancy prompted the discontinuation of a decade-long antidepressant regimen, setting off an unforeseen chain of events. By January 2017, she had become a stranger to her family and herself, navigating the complex and often unforgiving landscape of mental healthcare in the United States. Through encounters marked by compassion and cruelty, Barrie's family embarked on a desperate quest for a diagnosis, ultimately uncovering the rare condition of pregnancy-induced depersonalization and derealization disorder.

Hell Gate Bridge not only brings to light these seldom-discussed mental illnesses but also unveils the flaws in our maternal and mental healthcare system. Barrie's journey, marked by resilience, became a relentless climb out of the abyss, all while balancing the challenges of motherhood, maintaining her teaching career, and preserving her marriage. The narrative serves as a testament to the power of determination in overcoming the darkest of challenges and fighting fiercely to save those we hold dear.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781960456021
Publisher:	Woodhall Press
Publication date:	06/04/2024
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Barrie Miskin lives in Queens, New York. Her work has appeared in Hobart, Narratively, Write or Die and elsewhere. HELL GATE BRIDGE is her first book.

Editorial Reviews

"A bold necessary and absolutely beautiful portrait of early motherhood and mental illness. I was rapt from the start, marveling at the mystery and the bravery, and most of all, the steadfast love that connects us even in our darkest hours. A chilling and ultimately redemptive story, one that kept me up at night reading, evoking reflection on the ways America fails mothers, but also, the ways mothers never cease to fight back. This should be required reading for every person, period. Barrie Miskin guides us with an expert’s hand, never ceasing to remind us of our own humanity along the way. I loved it.”
 -Chelsea Bieker, author of Madwoman, Godshot and Heartbroke
 
“Barrie Miskin writes with a blend of urgency and empathy that characterizes the very best memoirs. Every time I read these pages, I find myself turning them breathlessly, caught up in luscious scenic descriptions and eager to learn what happens next. This is a story of a medical establishment that doubts women, and of the complicated cultural narratives we hold about motherhood. It’s also a story about what happens to a marriage when mental illness takes hold, and when parenthood brings unexpected challenges. There’s deep love here, and deep insight. Hell Gate Bridge is a gift.”
-Sarah Perry, author of After the Eclipse
 
“Hell Gate Bridge is an unexpected page-turner. At times, it reads like a Kafkaesque thriller about the American healthcare system. I tore through it in a single day, unable to pry myself away. With this assured debut, Barrie Miskin joins the ranks of Styron, Cahalan, and Jamison.”
-Kate Brody, author of Rabbit Hole
 
“Hell Gate Bridge chronicles what it is like as a mother to fall through every safety net in the battle with mental illness. Society relies on the mother to be whole and complete, but when she's the one that needs to be cared for, how does she cope? Barrie Miskin plumbs the depths for the root of her illness, and what we learn is that the work of healing takes grit, patience, and the white-knuckle grip of hope that our loved ones will be there for us in our deepest times of need. “
-Elle Nash, author of Deliver Me, GagReflex,Nudes and Animals Eat Each Other
 
“In Hell Gate Bridge, Barrie Miskin writes in beautiful and harrowing detail about her experience with severe maternal mental illness, giving us a Girl, Interrupted view into the world and mind of a new mother dealing with intrusive thoughts and a sort of unreality as she manages as best she can to survive. I was holding my breath on page one and never really breathed easy until the final page was turned. This is a book I wish Sylvia Plath was alive to read.”
-Elizabeth Ellen, author of Person/a, editor of Hobart, founder of SF/LD books 
 
"An addictive, harrowing account of one woman’s descent into depersonalization-derealization disorder and a biting commentary on the American psychiatric care system. Barrie Miskin is a master storyteller, laying herself bare with honesty, earnestness, vulnerability and charm. With the highs, lows and twists of an elegantly plotted novel, Hell Gate Bridge explores the paranoia and isolation of maternal mental illness from a whole other universe. This book is poised to be a seminal text.”
-Mila Jaroniec, author of Plastic Vodka Bottle Sleepover

From the Publisher