My life changed dramatically when my husband was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer in 2018, and I am now a writer for a leading Canadian Cancer Non-Profit. I have tried a podcast - it's still on Apple and Google Podcasts - but writing is where my heart is. My first book - How Not To Blog: Finding Myself, One Post at a Time is available on Amazon (in eBook formats for you clever tech readers, and paperback for those of us who love that new book smell!)

I write about issues that are near to my heart, be they political, feminist, motherhood, mental health, or, as the title holds, books.Ī thirty-something Canadian woman in my mid-thirties, I have been 'super married' to my high school sweetheart since 2006, and together we have two crazy, clever, kind, hilarious, wonderful kids. Originally intended to simply focus on book reviews, over time, KaliDesautelsReads has morphed into its own entity. Shirleyjackson #shirleyjacksonbooks #thebirdsnest #birdsnest #mentalhealth #multiplepersonalities #multiplepersonality #novel #fictional #fiction #booksbooksbooks #books #bookstagram #penguinclassics #classic #1954 #thehauntingofhillhouse #netflix #lizzie #thelottery #readersofinstagram #readers It is a dense read, though it is only 256 pages long, so be prepared to focus.

If you enjoy Jackson’s works such as the short story The Lottery or the recently-adapted by Netflix The Haunting of Hill House, I would recommend The Bird’s Nest. Between the doctor’s treatments and the understanding of why a young woman would be mentally ill in the first place can be a bit disturbing to a modern-day reader. It is important to note that while this novel is based on mental health, the terminology and thoughts about mental health and wellness is dated. The novel is darkly funny, and at times grotesque, as Jackson creates a disquieting world for Elizabeth, her guardian Aunt Morgen, and her doctor. Telling the story of the dull, polite, and demure Elizabeth Richmond, The Bird’s Nest is told mostly from the perspective of her hypnotherapist Dr Wright, as he unravels the physical and mental manifestations of Elizabeth’s illness. Shirley Jackson’s novel The Bird’s Nest is a mental health thriller, based on the idea of multiple personality disorder (or in the language of the book “split personalities”).

The Bird's Nest by Shirley Jackson