Andy Gage is just one of the souls, or personalities, that inhabit a single body. He is usually the one in charge of running the body, while the other souls go about their own business, or watch from the sidelines and provide advice and commentary about what Andy is doing. Andy gets a job at a small tech startup, and when a new employee called Mouse is hired, he quickly realizes that she also has multiple personalities, but she is not aware of it. Andy wants to help her understand her own mental state, but also has to deal with internal conflicts with his own personalities.

This book is a big departure for Ruff. His writing is usually funny and madcap and light, but this book is very heavy. The humor is still there, and there is still a somewhat ridiculous and action-packed climax with many surprising plot twists, but the subject matter is really heavy. The book has some very vivid depictions of child abuse, including sexual abuse, so it's not an easy read and sensitive readers might want to avoid it.

Ruff handles the mental illness of his main characters with understanding and sensitivity. His explanation of how multiple personalities come about, and the different approaches to coping with it, is fascinating, and honestly gave me some new ways to think about my own mental health. The book also clearly makes the point that even people who are "normal" have mental health problems, and Andy often seems like the most sane person in the book. ( )

This is a fictionalized version of the life of two people with multiple identity disorder. The author, in his acknowledgements, says that he used sources for his research, but he doesn't name any. Not having this disorder myself, or knowing anyone with it, I can't judge how accurate a potrayal of it his characters have. It does make a good story, and the reader is able to become fairly invested in the characterizations. ( )

Strange. I know I wrote a review of this many months ago but let me try to reconstruct. Spoilers noted. I learned a lot about multiple personality disorder, including that it is now referred to as dissociative identity disorder (DID). Ruff's main character, Andy Gage, who suffers from DID is compelling, and I loved the way the character deals with his subpersonalities, to whom Ruff has done justice. The different therapeutic approaches are interesting too. Great research, inventive story, I blame the publisher or editor. Somebody should have reeled Ruff in.

***Mild spoilers***

The rough Ruff stuff though: I simply could not buy that Julie would stumble upon not one but two people with DID in this town. Further, the Julie character is a mess, both her characterization and Ruff's characterization of her.

Mouse/Penny? I liked the addition of this character aside from having been brought into the story via the Julie DID-whisperer.

***Bigger spoiler***

Then there's the very unnecessary business with Andy's landlord having lost her family to a harassing serial murderer. Why, Matt Ruff? And the car crash business with Andy being triggered by watching the guy abuse his kid. Too much. And the denouement with the rogue sheriff from the past. Nah, dude. Too much. Much much too much. Too over the top. ( )

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3784740.html

barely SFnal in that the viewpoint characters both have forms of multiple personality disorder, and the extent to which their different personalities have reality can be interpreted to different extents; but I found the Seattle setting thoroughly convincing, the characterisation engaging, and the gradual reveal of the twist ending very satisfying. I did wonder for the first half of the book how precisely it fulfilled the Tiptree Award mandate of exploring gender, but it all became clear on page 237. A worthy winner. ( )

Dans la tête d’Andy cohabitent une centaine d’âmes. C’est ainsi qu’il nomme les différentes personnalités qui vivent dans la "maison" qu’il a créée pour pouvoir faire face à son syndrome de la personnalité multiple.
Tout est en ordre et depuis quelques années, Andrew a pris le contrôle et chaque âme se relaie au cours de la journée pour participer aux différents actes de la vie quotidienne.
Mais cet équilibre précaire se voit mis en péril lorsque Andy rencontre Penny, atteinte du même mal qui cache quelques secrets bien enfouis.
Mat Ruff nous livre un thriller psychologique étonnant sous forme de Road trip. Faire passer à l’écrit toute la complexité du psychisme humain éclaté en une centaine de personnages n’était pas un exercice facile... et pourtant Mat Ruff réussit parfaitement son coup... à tel point que, 15 ans après l’avoir lu, ce roman me hante encore. ( )