Adrienne Martini --

Postpartum depression haunts Adrienne Martini's family, as she puts it in the first sentences of her memoir: "My family has a grand tradition. After a woman gives birth, she goes mad." Her book explores the breakdown she had after her daughter was born. It's an interesting word, breakdown. Certainly it can be applied to the fits of crying, the panic attacks and feelings of helplessness she recounts here: "It is hard not to grab people I know by the shoulders and scream at them to help me" and "I don't know why I'm so terrified to be alone with my child." But another, bigger breakdown is all over Hillbilly Gothic. Why does it take several weeks for anyone in the medical profession to offer Martini useful help, even though she starts asking for it right away? Why is she sent to a psych ward instead of to a place specializing in postpartum depression and psychosis? And -- the biggest system breakdown of all -- why is she given no time to reconnect with her baby while still in the psych ward? Instead she is sent home to her husband, family, friends, house and baby all at once. Can we really anticipate peoples' needs no better than this? Martini weaves in anecdotes about her relatives' mental illnesses, but these are not as compelling as her own tale. Much of her family history is lost -- she can only recount fragments. These almost-stories are a frustrating read. The importance of the subject matter can make up for Hillbilly Gothic's faults, however, if just one new mother recognizes herself and seeks help (and demands the right kind of help) after reading it. (Angela Pancella) Grade: C+