Book Review: "Zig-Zag Boy: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood" by Tanya Frank

Tanya Frank's new memoir is a powerfully moving and thought-provoking account of a family affected by mental illness.

“…all the vigilance in the world cannot save or fix my boy. He has his own voice. He needs to find it again.”

Tanya’s younger son, Zach, was smart, charming, curious, and loving, a UCLA student who always seemed to have a girlfriend and a group of friends. Yet one night in 2009, he suffered a schizophrenic break, convinced he was being monitored and that someone was trying to kill him.

That night launched their family into the overwhelming, emotionally draining, often-confusing, and frustrating mental health system. They quickly find there’s not one concrete diagnosis, not one proven method of treatment, not even one drug to help manage symptoms. Zach is often caught between the choice of taking drugs that have horrible side-effects or allowing his symptoms to overwhelm him.

It’s not long before Zach’s condition has strained Tanya’s relationship with her wife and their finances, and left her wondering what her approach should be. How can she abandon her son at his most vulnerable? But how can she be involved in his care and still be a good wife and a good mother to her older son? And if Zach wants her to walk away, can she? What will his future look like?

I learned a lot about schizophrenia from this book, and as someone with depression and anxiety, I did recognize some of the struggles and emotions that Zach, Tanya, and their family faced. This is beautifully written, and I felt very fortunate that Tanya was willing to share her family’s challenges.