Short Story Review: St. Isabelle’s Downfall
Hello Doctors, Nurses, and Mental Patients,
Following up on this morning’s interview with Tiffany Renee Harmon, this post is all about her short story St. Isabelle’s Downfall.
This short story is a piece of free fiction that you can check out here.
Fun fact, I was looking for some new sites to follow on WordPress when I stumbled upon Tiffany’s site. When I heard she had a short story available that was free, I simply had to check it out!
Blurb
At St. Isabelle’s Home for the Mentally Disturbed it’s not clear whether the sole patient needs the staff, or the other way around.
The Review
I gave this short story five disturbed stars!
St. Isabelle’s is a home for the mentally disturbed that has seen better days. Once a prospering institution, hard economic times have rendered it all but a failure.
There is just one patient left, Alexa Blake, who is a schizophrenic and is taken care of by a two-woman team, Dr. Martin and Nurse Amy.
More than anything, Alexa wants to be able to connect with Lily, a woman she can only see in mirrors and natural reflections. But with Dr. Martin and Nurse Amy constantly eyeballing her, it seems that Alexa’s days with Lily are numbered. Can Alexa find a way for Lily and her to be together, or will she be stuck in this hell forever?
Man, I simply loved this short story!
The characters were each unique and had their own quirks. Dr. Martin was clinical and cold, and while Nurse Amy wasn’t quite as awful, she does what she is told at any cost.
Alexa … poor Alexa. All she wants is to be with Lily, but tricking her captors into thinking she’s taking her meds when she really isn’t won’t last forever. Alexa really was the star of this story, and her situation really is awful. The whole time I desperately wanted her to get what she wanted.
The writing was superb if you ask me. Though it was a short story, I still blazed through it because it was that good. I had to know what happened next. I loved every bit of this story!
Ultimately, St. Isabelle’s Downfall was a thrilling and riveting short story, and I can’t wait to read more by this author!
That’s A Wrap!
Well that’s it for this short story review. I hope you enjoyed it!
Remember, if you’d like to read this story for free, please click here and comment to let the author know what you thought!
Have you read this story? Are there other short stories you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!
Have a great day!
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I haven’t read this story, but I find fiction dealing with schizophrenia or insanity quite interesting. I mean, how difficult must it be for an author to write about a character’s mental illness!
Good point. It must be extremely hard. I don’t think I’ve ever written a character with those traits, and I think it would be hard for me to even know where to start.
Definitely give the short story a read if you can, you’ll love it! I finished it in maybe 15 mins.