Review of The Storage Unit

[Saint Bruno]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Storage Unit" by Greg Montgomery.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Storage Unit by Greg Montgomery is a memoir about the author's experiences with his wife, Jill, who was suffering from mental illness. The story follows the author's life from when he met Jill to when her mental illness became apparent to others.

Greg Montgomery recounts how he wanted to break up with Jill when they were still dating because she seemed manipulative and acted strangely. However, on the day he decided to tell her it was over, she announced that she was pregnant with his son. And from then onwards, she had him do whatever she wanted by threatening to abort the baby. Even after their son was delivered, she didn't act like a mother towards her child. Unfortunately, her mental health became worse, and Mr. Montgomery soon found that he had to protect his son from his wife.

I have heard stories in which parents who were mentally ill killed their spouses and children. So I was interested in Mr. Montgomery's account. His story is both thought-provoking and eye-opening. Through his story, readers would understand how a person's mental illness affects their loved ones. Readers will see that aside from walking on eggshells, the loved ones of a mentally ill person suffer emotional and physical stress from both the sick and the public.

Mr. Montgomery's captivating narrating skills are praiseworthy. This story is touching, and I imagined how I would have felt if I were his young son. I must commend the author for his intriguing writing style because it was easy for me to picture what he described in my mind. Despite being a non-fiction story, I liked how he maintained suspense in the book till the end. His narrations were easy to follow and understand. I also enjoyed how the author didn't waste time describing irrelevant events because it made the book concise.

What I like most about this 89-page book is its message. Readers will learn from the author's mistakes and make better decisions if they find themselves in such a situation. More so, our authorities would grab a thing or two from the author's story. For example, the Baker Act in Florida allows a mentally ill person who can't determine their need for treatment to be held and examined for up to 72 hours. But in Jill's case, 72 hours wasn't enough to determine that she needed to be in a mental hospital, even if it was against her wish. So this story can help the authorities concerned to revisit the law.

Nevertheless, I didn't enjoy every aspect of this book. The author appeared not to be compassionate towards Jill's condition. I found how he sometimes referred to her as "this woman" and "this mentally ill woman" to be off-putting. Additionally, there was a time he gave Jill some money and put her on a bus to go to her parents' place but forgot to call the parents to be sure she arrived. Considering he knew she was mentally ill, I expected him to at least call her family the next day.

In conclusion, I rate The Storage Unit three out of four stars. It is a touching and eye-opening book, and I believe we can all learn from the author's story. However, I couldn't give it a perfect rating due to the aspect I found off-putting. The book seems professionally edited, even though I found some errors in it. I recommend it to readers interested in reading a memoir about how a person's mental illness affects the lives of their loved ones.

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The Storage Unit
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[Benaron]

The book sounds a little (maybe more than a little) traumatic. I personally am effected by the books I read and I feel like this book would put me in a negative frame of mind; therefore, I don’t intend on reading it. However, it sounds like there is a lot of depth here and for less sensitive people it seems like it could be a good read.

[smolbird]

It's very heartbreaking for both the husband and their son to see Jill afflicted with that mental illness. It's difficult to even imagine being in their shoes because I would be at a loss for what to do in that kind of situation. Thank you for this great review!

[Emily_Jen]

This book is a memoir about the author's experiences with his wife, Jill, who was suffering from mental illness. The story follows the author's life from when he met Jill to when her mental illness became apparent to others.
It must have been hard for the author, especially when others became aware of his wife's mental issues. This is a ln excellent review; thanks.

[Josephe-Anne]

Sadly, many of us have heard stories on the news about people murdering their close family members. It is unfortunate that we have to deal with these situations, which are often the result of unchecked mental illnesses. Hopefully, things turned out ok for the author and his son.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[Ldpuff]

Wow... is all that I have to say. What a read! I am very interested in reading this book thanks to your review!

[Raluca_Mihaila]

I have mixed feelings after reading your review, but I am sure that some people might benefit from it. I loved the metaphor in the name. Thank you for this great review!

[NISSE]

This is a emotional rollercoaster of the author who has live with his mentally unstable spouse.Appreciate authors courage in dealing with the situation and even sharing the experience with the wider audience.

[Aman Deep 4]

The book sounds a little (maybe more than a little) traumatic. I personally am effected by the books I read and I feel like this book would put me in a negative frame of mind; therefore, I don’t intend on reading it. However, it sounds like there is a lot of depth here and for less sensitive people it seems like it could be a good read