The Flawed Ones - A Story of Mental Illness, Addiction and Love

After leaving behind a trail of drug-addled destruction, Jay finds himself confined to the walls of a psychiatric hospital. He is now compelled to confront his actions, his issues, and the past that led him to such downhill spiral. But what surprisingly affects him most are the people that he becomes surrounded by; people with considerable deficiencies that will shed some light on the things that truly matter in life.

“The Flawed Ones” is a thorough examination of the struggles of mental illness, depression, addiction, and the effects they have on the human condition. Most importantly, it proves that physical and mental shortcomings do not necessarily define who we truly are inside- that the heart is, in fact, untouched by our “flaws”, and that love will always prevail above all.

My Take:

Jay has admitted himself into a psychiatric hospital to recover from a long trail of addiction and destruction. He must face the monsters of his past and the destruction he caused in order to move forward into a new life of sobriety. For the many people confined with him in the psych ward, including him, the future holds an opportunity for improvement or return to the destruction that brought them to this place.

The Flawed Ones is an in-depth examination of the life inside a psychiatric ward, and the internal struggles that accompany it.

Content:

Drug Content:

R - The majority of this book covers a lot of ground, from alcoholism to prescription and street drug addictions, and the destruction that accompany them. Cocaine, Vicodin, Xanax, Marijuana, and many other drugs are discussed at some length, as the author, or at least the main character, had struggles with most of these. Significant space is given to discussion of the effects of these drugs and their less-potent treatment drugs, and how an addict can be safely brought into sobriety without the death that often accompanies withdrawal from these potent drugs. Clear descriptions, honest and raw, of the destruction caused by an addict to the ones he or she loves, is laid bare and bleeding for the reader to see. A deranged addict pours a bottle of pills down the throat of a child and forces her to swallow.

Violence:

PG - There is a scene where one patient is screaming the word 'Rebellion!' repeatedly at the top of his lungs, and another patient punches him out.

Language:

PG-13 - The F-bomb is dropped once, and swear words are scattered lightly throughout.

Adult Content:

R - One of the female patients tries to make out with the main character, and he has a dream during this that is rather intensely erotic. (She does this while he is asleep). There are three passages in the book that are in the bedroom, and get a bit graphic in their depiction. Rape is openly discussed. An addict uses prostitution for a fix.

Christian content:

Jay's roommate for much of the book is a Christian man named Bob. He reads several passages of the bible out loud to Jay. The main character's parents pray fervently for him to be delivered from his addictions. His girlfriend is a Christian girl too, but they move in together at his prompting, rather than marrying. There are hints that the main character is considering his eternal destination, but other hints that he cannot accept the existence of God.

Final analysis:

The Flawed Ones is poignant, raw, eloquent, emotional, and relevant. It covers a lot of ground and exposes the tendencies in the medical profession to simply treat mental health issues with medication as the easy and quick way out. Many of the characters in the book are reduced to zombies each night, and only reach a modicum of lucidity during the day. I can't determine if this is a work of fiction, an autobiography, or, more likely, a hybrid of both, with names changed to protect the innocent. The characters were raw and believable, and the issues relevant. The passages concerning backstory and interaction between the characters were incredibly eloquent and beautiful.

That having been said, the pacing was extremely slow for me. The book dragged in parts, and was a bit disjointed in other parts. At the end it was revealed he had only been in the ward a week, but it seemed much longer to me, partially because of the flashbacks, dreams, and backstories of the other characters.

This book is recommended reading for anyone wanting a clear understanding of mental health issues; depression, anxiety, addiction, codependency, sexual addictions, abuse, and the list goes on. However, the content is adult enough to recommend for late teens and adults only. I found it to be engaging and immersive, but the pacing was too slow for me to give it more than Four Stars.

About the Author:
Jay Chirino