Collages: a Jewish Girl's Search for Self

Collages . . . A Jewish Girl's Search for Self explores the healing of a sixteen year old, Andi Levy, who suffers from a panic disorder. The novel portrays Andi's journey from the angry isolation of a suicide attempt, which lands her in the hospital, to self-cognition that enables her to form friendships, develop creativity and come to terms with her Jewishness. Andi begins therapy with her psychiatrist, Dr. Martin Zemmel, and, although her first sessions are stormy, she soon begins to express herself and delve into her emotional, spiritual, and sexual needs. In addition to her therapy, Andi interacts with a racially diverse group of teens on the ward, who reach out to each other despite their differences, to form much needed relationships of warmth and closeness. The principal action begins on Andi's first day in a mental institution where she is inappropriately given antipsychotic medicine and put into a strait jacket. Shortly after her release from restraint, Andi believes her only hope is to phone her now ex-boyfriend, Joe, who refuses to speak to her. Andi becomes violently enraged enabling Dr. Zemmel to perceive an undercurrent of agonizingly unresolved issues. He realizes she is vulnerable to panic attacks and proposes a regimen that is short on meds and long on therapy. Parallel to Andi's healing is a subplot that reflects the Jewish American experience. Marty Zemmel has an uncanny ability to help Andi, but is actually emotionally impoverished himself. He attempts to escape his emptiness by pursuing Bliss Rothstein, a career woman and single parent, who is rebuilding her shattered personal life. Bliss has a strong physical attraction for him, but struggles against involvement with a married man. Anne Zemmel, Marty's wife, realizes their marriage is a failure and uses prescription drugs and scotch to numb her pain. The major characters in Collages struggle around issues that help define them. Their Jewishness, often a painfully confusing enigma, also provide