“My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward” by Mark Lukach

If you are a fussy person or a rigid person or a sensitive person or someone who likes things done a particular way, then I don’t suggest you get married. Buy a car. Adopt a dog. Rent a surfboard. Or purchase a yoga mat on Amazon. But don’t get married, because you are just going to be frustrated. Marriage is hard, not on certain days, but on almost every day. I’m not being a pessimist, I’m just stating it like it is: Marriage is not for sissies. “My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward” by Mark Lukach is the story of two people who fall in love when they are young, and then all hell breaks loose. This is not to say this is a depressing book, but rather I think it is a pretty uplifting book. Mark and his wife, Giulia, fell in love at 18, got married at 24 and then, when his wife was just 27, she suffered a psychotic break that landed her in a psych ward.  Delusional and suicidal, she fought back to the point where they both thought it would be good to have a child. This decision worried me when I read it, but they were young and in love and wanted a baby. They got to experience the joy of welcoming their son Jonas into the world, but their happiness was short lived when Giulia suffered a second, and later a third breakdown. You might be thinking why would someone want to read this kind of book? The answer is easy: because tragedy struck and Mark stayed, and he did not run away. He was mad, sad, frustrated and everything in between, I’m sure. But he stuck around during the good days and the bad days. When I finished the book I just kept shaking my head with admiration for the couple. What a good guy Giulia married. What a great husband. What an excellent book. I just looked on line to see how Mark and Giulia are doing today, and they are still married, now raising their two sons. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.