The Shaking Woman or A History of My Nerves

There are those who, after having a frightening physical experience, would flee first to their doctors, begging for medication to cure their puzzling and troubling symptoms. Others would first tell the story of their experience to friends or family, hoping for emotional reassurance and relief. And then there's the third kind, who would use such a traumatic experience as the jumping-off place for a wide-ranging, intellectually rigorous examination of what happened --- and why. Noted novelist and essayist Siri Hustvedt falls into this third camp. After her father's death, Hustvedt was able to deliver the eulogy at his funeral confidently and competently, paying tribute to his life with a speech that was heartfelt yet not overwhelming. More than two years later, long after most people would agree that the grieving process had come to an end, she was asked to give another talk in honor of her father. This one was to be delivered at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, the school where she earned her undergraduate degree and where her father was a professor in the Norwegian department for four decades (and also, in the interest of full disclosure, this reviewer's alma mater). There, in the shade of a tree planted in her father's memory, Hustvedt, normally a cool and collected speaker, suddenly began shuddering uncontrollably from the neck down, barely able to remain standing even as she continued delivering her address. Overwhelmed by her experience --- which was replayed at other later speeches --- she decided to investigate her tremors to discover what was happening to her and why. Hustvedt, whose novels and essays often have a strong psychological component, read widely in the works of Freud, Janet and James in an attempt to find case studies of others like her and, in a broader sense, to understand the theory behind her frightening, disorienting ordeal. She also works as a writing teacher with the mentally ill, and her genuine curiosity about their conditions informs her insight into her own bodily phenomena. But is it a bodily phenomenon at all? That's the question into which Hustvedt's memoir delves most thoroughly. Her doctors fail to find a physical cause for her shaking, leading her --- as have many scholars before her --- to reflect on the real or philosophical boundaries between body and mind, to ask where the true "self" resides, and to consider how attempts to isolate one or the other --- or to identify discrete points of connection --- have been tried in the past. As a writer, Hustvedt is more sensitive than most to the experience of narrating her condition, also exploring the very act of narration, of storytelling, as critical not only to psychoanalysis but also to illness and human experience in general. Considering that her exploration is all about points of connection and points of separateness, she very carefully crafts her memoir to connect all these various strands in a way that will spark readers' own thought processes, to consider

An unusual book that provides the reader with lots of food for thought about the connection between body and mind. Beautifully written, underpinned by thorough research and interesting facts about the brain and mind. Having read and enjoyed Hustvedt's What I Loved: A Novel and The Sorrows of an American: A Novel, I was surprised at first. I expected a novel, rather than a personal account. But I very quickly realised that "The Shaking Woman" is a masterpiece of a different kind. It's a synthesis of many disciplines, intermingled with thought-provoking ideas and questions. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in neuroscientific facts, psychoanalysis, contemporary psychiatry and philosophical questions about the 'self' and the relationship between mind and body. In addition, I thought this book to be an interesting read for anyone who suffers from migraines! Christine Maingard, Author ofThink Less Be More:Mental Detox for Everyone [...]

This book has mixed reviews and I think the common thread from those who didn't like it is that it wasn't what they expected. If you buy this book expecting a full-blown memoir about Suri Hustvedt, you'll be disappointed. If you buy this book expecting an extremely well-written account of a baffling problem and the author's determination to find the cause (with all the details) you will truly enjoy this book. As with much of her work, Hustvedt is so good simply because she's so readable. The words just flow and with this book, they were written with a mission. I loved this little book and am glad Hustvedt took the time to share with us her account of trying to find the seemingly elusive problem and the answers she did, and didn't, find. I found it to be a treat.

Health problems with neurological basis have long intrigued doctors and prompted them to describe their observations to the lay audience, with the flag example of Dr. Oliver Sacks, whose excellent books have been bestsellers for years. The nervous system, with its obvious connection to the mind, and, in turn, to the spiritual, is a mysterious subject, very tempting and rewarding for the writers of fiction. Many book protagonists, more or less famous, have been afflicted with epilepsy, schizophrenia, psychosis or syndromes described more recently. Examples span from Dostoyevsky's "Idiot", to Lethem's "Motherless Brooklyn". Siri Hustvedt, and accomplished novelist with an interest in psychiatric disorders and a teacher of patients, in her newest book "The shaking woman or a history of my nerves" brilliantly connects the science and literary tradition, describing her own case and her quest to understand its provenance. She begins with the first onset of tremors, when she was delivering a speech during her father's funeral. Scared and determined to harness the symptoms, she did a lot of research on epilepsy, hysteria, brain trauma, and split personality. She delivers, in beautiful, clear prose, an in-depth analysis of her case in the historical context, with digressions into literature and controversial cases, discussing the phenomenon of artists, often suffering from some form of "disease of the mind". Clearly, as a writer of fiction with a most personal connection to the subject, Hustvedt does not offer and objective, scientific article. Despite presenting many points of view of different authorities on the subject and citing original articles, she does not lose an intimate relationship with "the shaking woman", her other self, and has very strong opinions, discussing matters, which are still a mystery, even for specialists. This slim volume, written with passion and thoroughly researched (an extensive bibliography at the end helps to choose further reading) is a gem for anyone interested in unexplained nervous breakdowns and their manifestations, but at the same time it is the most personal, autobiographical study, a memoir by someone with extraordinary sensitivity and imagination, which cannot be missed.

After Siri Hustvedt was seized by convulsions during a public speaking engagement honoring her late father, she began a journey to understand what had caused the episode. Interestingly, she had been able to continue her speech right through the convulsion/seizure. This is highly unusual. Once before, she had had a similar experience, while visiting an art gallery in Paris. That previous episode had only lasted seconds, with her arms flailing so hard, she was flung against a wall. Moments later, she had a feeling of euphoria. Then came a violent headache that would last more than a year. This resulted in a neurologist sending her to a hospital where she was put on the drug Thorazine. She spent the next eight days languishing in a drugged stupor. Subsequently, she notes (p. 5) "Nobody really knew what was wrong with me. My doctor gave it a name- vascular migraine syndrome- but why I had become a vomiting, miserable, flattened, frightened, ENORMOUS, headache, a HUMPTY DUMPTY after the fall, no one could say." Hustvedt had suffered from migraines since a child, and her curiosity led her to study neurology, psychiatry, and psychoanalysis. Her studies ramped up when she decided to write a novel where she would have to impersonate a psychiatrist who was also a psychoanalyst. She "threw herself into the convolutions of psychiatric diagnoses and the innumerable mental disorders that afflict human beings."(p.5) She asks (p.14) "Is my mind the same thing as my brain? How can the human experience originate in white and gray matter? What is organic and non-organic?" Some of the topics covered are hysteria, conversion disorder, somatoform disorders, manic depression, repression, dissociation, post-traumatic stress disorder, fugues, schizophrenia, alien hand syndrome, split brain syndrome, and much, much more. Yet all of her study and exploration does not lead to a definitive conclusion. The episodes of shaking come and go. She writes (p.189) "None of us chooses chronic illness. It chooses us." This is a great book for anyone interested in psychology, neurology, psychiatry, neuropsychoanalysis, or anyone interested in learning more about the mind/brain/body connection. It's a rather scholarly look at an unusual affliction, but Hustvedt approaches it with good humor and a voracious curiosity. Her book is proof of how much we've learned through the years, and yet so mysteries of the human condition remain. I do think the book could have benefited from an index though. All in all, a terrific read. I learned a lot. Highly recommended reading.