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| Plot Summary of Beloved Stranger |
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"Lily has been married to Dick for 50 years. Dick is becoming increasingly suspicious. He gives away large sums of money to people he doesn't know well, then thinks he's being swindled. He believes there's an intruder in their Dublin home, and even suspects Lily of having an affair. He gets to the point of threatening her with a shotgun, actually putting it in her mouth.
Lily finally, reluctantly admits to her daughter Ruth, a single professional woman in her 40's that there are problems. They get Dick to a doctor who refers them to a psychologist. Tim, the psychologist makes a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Most likely, Dick has had this for years, but it has become much worse with advancing age and retirement.
In spite of Dick's resistance, and Lily's reluctance, Ruth gets him admitted to a hospital first, where he is stabilized on medication. Lily signs him out for what's supposed to be a brief visit, but Dick and Lily agree that he won't go back. He stops taking his meds resulting in the return of the paranoid behavior. Ruth gets him admitted to a retirement home, where he is obstreperous, sexually inappropriate with the staff and Lily when she visits, and eventually violent.
Lily is left questioning the way she has lived her life as a full time homemaker, and whether her life has meaning. She feels so alienated, she moves out of her home into a rundown boarding house.
Ruth who has avoided long term relationships based on her experience with her parents, has to sort out what her family means to her, and whether she will ever want a family of her own.
Tim the psychologist maintains an ongoing relationship with the family, and in the end helps the two women sort out their issues. "
Susan Coffey, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Beloved Stranger |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- depressed
Time/era of story
- 1980's-1999
Family, struggle with
Yes
Struggle with:
- Husband
Family, caring for ill
Yes
Who is sick?
- husband
because he/she is
- mentally ill
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Brain/Body disability?
- mental illness
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- homemaker
Age:
- 60's-90's
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Irish/McCourt
How sensitive is this character?
- soggy whimpering jelly muffin
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 60's-90's
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 5 (an average amount)
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Ireland
City?
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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