The best aspect of Sorrow and Bliss is the way that Mason portrays the personal significance of receiving an accurate mental health diagnosis. Martha, the main character, spends the majority of this novel struggling with her mental illness. She has deep depressive episodes. She tries multiple medications. The relief at finally knowing her (unnamed to readers) diagnosis was both palpable and powerful.

A difficult thing about this novel is that Martha uses her mental health struggles as an excuse to be genuinely rude and cruel to her loved ones. Especially her husband. Though eventually she realizes she's actually an asshole outside of her diagnosis, it was excruciating to experience Martha being needlessly mean-spirited.

Overall, I liked Sorrow and Bliss and following Martha's journey. The whole novel felt really realistic, even (and especially) in its most unlikeable moments.

this was such an amazing portrayal of mental illness and the effect it has on the people around you. it just was a little slow and monotonous at points :/

the ending was amazing though