Silver Water by Amy Bloom
"Silver Water" by Amy Bloom is a poignant narrative that explores the complexities of mental illness through the eyes of Violet, a sister grappling with the challenges posed by her sister Rose's psychosis. The story begins with a tender memory of the sisters attending an opera, highlighting Rose's once-vibrant spirit and talent for singing. As the narrative unfolds, it delves into the family's struggle to cope with Rose's mental health issues, beginning with her initial psychotic break at fifteen, and their experiences with various therapists, illustrating the family's frustrations and hopes throughout the journey.
Violet's reflections capture the contrast between Rose's past brilliance and her current struggles, painting a vivid picture of the emotional toll on the family. As Rose navigates the ups and downs of her condition, including her reliance on medication and the bond she forms with a beloved therapist, the story addresses themes of love, loss, and resilience. Ultimately, the narrative takes a tragic turn, leading to heartbreaking choices and culminating in Violet’s profound sense of loss at her sister's funeral. "Silver Water" poignantly portrays the delicate balance of humor and sorrow while providing insight into the impact that mental illness has on familial relationships.
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Silver Water by Amy Bloom
First published: 1991
Type of plot: Realism
Time of work: The 1980's
Locale: Connecticut
Principal Characters:
Violet , the narratorRose , her mentally ill sisterDavid , her father, a psychiatristGalen , her mother, a musicianDr. Thorne , Rose's therapist
The Story
Written by a psychotherapist, "Silver Water" dares to be funny about a very serious subject, the mental illness of a family member. The story is told in the first person by Violet, the sister of the mentally ill Rose, and begins with an anecdote about the sisters being taken to see the opera La Traviata when Violet was twelve and Rose was fourteen. After the opera, in the parking lot, Rose says, "Check this out" and opens her mouth and sings with what Violet describes as a voice like mountain water in a silver pitcher. Violet relates this incident to all of Rose's therapists, wanting them to know that before she started aimlessly singing commercials and fast-food jingles, there had been Puccini and Mozart and hymns so sweet "you expected Jesus to come down off his cross and clap." Violet wants everyone to understand that before Rose became psychotic and gained so much weight that she had to wear maternity tops and sweatpants, she was the prettiest girl in Arrandale Elementary School.
Rose had her initial psychotic break, first recognized by her mother, Galen, and sadly acknowledged by her psychiatrist father, David, when she was fifteen. Violet describes the family therapists they take Rose to see and how the family hates them. The worst therapist they take Rose to see refers to her in the third person even though she is present, a fact that Violet points out and with which the entire family agrees. The best family therapist they meet is Dr. Thorne, a three-hundred-pound Texan whom Rose loves and calls Big Nut. After meeting Dr. Thorne, Rose starts taking her medication, loses fifty pounds, and begins singing at an African American church down the street from the halfway house in which she stays. As time passes, Violet goes to college and Rose manages to cope well; though she hears voices that urge her to do "bad things," usually Dr. Thorne can bring her back again.
However, after five years of seeing Rose, Dr. Thorne dies. Rose stops taking her medication and gets thrown out of the halfway house for pitching someone down the stairs. The family tries various means to help Rose. At one point, her mother promises her that she can drive the new family car if she will take her medication. While the family waits for Rose's new insurance to take effect, she gets worse, breaking the furniture and keeping the family up all night. At one point she begins banging her head against the floor, until Violet, who is home from her job teaching English, stops her by throwing herself on the kitchen floor, becoming the spot against which Rose was banging her head. Violet goes to Rose's room the next morning and, finding her semiconscious from an overdose of pills, allows her to die in her arms. At the funeral, Violet remembers Rose at age fifteen singing with a voice like "silver water" in the parking lot after the opera.