Seven Days

by: Kevin M. McGreer

Published by: Lulu Enterprises

Reviewed by Diane Snyder

“Memory becomes nightmare. Nightmares turn real.”

This is 17-year-old Jonathan’s (also known as Jack or Jackie) struggle as a new “guest” of St. Michaels, an apparent psychiatric hospital for adolescents. Jack is admitted to the facility in handcuffs and asked if he is still suicidal. To cover his fears he presents with a flip, smart-guy attitude that quickly alienates him from most of the other guests and makes him a threat to the powers that be.

Jack also suffers from narcolepsy, an uncontrolled daytime sleepiness that can be triggered by profound emotional stressors. These sleep episodes are preceded by hallucinations in the form of large birds. The story covers his first seven days and his continued struggle to maintain his own reality while trying to fight off his narcolepsy.

During this seven-day period, Jack lapses in and out of sleep throughout each day. Some of his sleep periods may be drug induced by the facility. His dream state is mostly nightmarish and incorporates the people at the hospital or his parents. It is sometimes difficult to determine Jack’s dreams from Jack’s reality and it may be the author is trying to project to the reader the confusion and fear that is being experienced by Jack as he tries to grasp what is real and what is not.

Jack’s dreams become more memories or flash backs to the events that led to his attempted suicide and the commitment to this facility For a suicidal adolescent in a psychiatric hospital, Jack has surprising insights into his own behaviors.

All the characters are seen from Jack’s perspective or view, if indeed they even exist. The security person as seen by Jack is Monstercop, who carries a gun, handcuffs and a large nightstick. The head of the hospital is Dr. Thomas Macabee, who makes the rules and implies quick punishments in form of beatings, sedation and food denial of any guest who does not conform.

This is a disturbing read with an ambiguous ending but there are some brilliant moments relative to his roommate, Jordan.

Armchair Interviews says: This is not a light read.