More or Less Maddy

Author Lisa Genova, a neuroscientist by trade, is known for tackling big issues in her books and wrapping intriguing stories around them that both entertain and educate her readers. In her latest book More or Less Maddy, Genova focuses her story around bipolar disorder. 

Maddy Banks is a university student at NYU who has always felt like the black sheep of her family. When life knocks her down again and again, she decides to go on antidepressants and initially feels good - until she spirals out of control in a bout of mania and finally receives a bipolar disorder diagnosis.

Genova vividly describes how a bipolar person can spiral from mania to depression, from treatment to thinking they're 'okay now' and going off their meds only to start the difficult process over again. We witness how hard it is for people with mental illness to navigate their way in a world (and sometimes in their own families) that continue to stigmatize and shame them. 

This was a slower moving story that never quite pulled me fully into the story (with a bit too much time spent on Maddy's stand-up dreams). That said, it is a thought-provoking story and I appreciate learning more about bipolar disorder and how the illness impacts the individual and those around them. 

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Gallery/Scout Press for the complimentary digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Lisa Genova

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press

First Published: January 14, 2025

Read: Nov 29, 2024

Book Description from GoodReads: A breathless, riveting novel about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder who rejects the stability and approval found in a traditionally “normal” life for 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 is 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 to find her way in this new reality, navigating the complex effects bipolar has on her identity, her relationships, and her life dreams, Maddy will have to figure out how to manage being both too much and not enough.

With her signature “deep empathy and insight” (Booklist), Harvard-trained neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author 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 Still Alice.