Fallen
A Trauma, a Marriage, and the Transformative Power of Music
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Part recovery narrative and part love story, interwoven with the latest research on the brain, Fallen describes the aftermath of a life-threatening brain and spinal cord injury.
In 2008, Simon Paradis stepped backward on the scaffolding where he was doing construction work and fell two stories to the hard stone tile below. Landing on his back, head, and spine, he suffered a severe brain and spinal cord injury. Doctors warned his wife, Kara Stanley, that he probably would not survive, and that if he did, his mind and his body would never be the same. In Fallen, Kara Stanley chronicles the effect of this catastrophic accident on both Simon and her and on their marriage.
Combining the heart-wrenching narrative of Simon’s recovery with the latest research on the brain, the book elucidates the resilience of both the human heart and the human mind. It also describes the transformative role of music in Simon’s life both before and during his continuing rehabilitation and his hard-fought battle to return to work as a professional musician. At the heart of the story is the relationship between the author and her husband, as she explores what is essential in a marriage to allow it to grow and thrive even amid life’s inherent chaos and uncertainty.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Stanley's debut book is a love story about the way the author's life changes after a traumatic injury leaves her musician husband, Simon, paralyzed from the waist down. It traces Simon's journey from his fall at a construction site to Vancouver General Hospital, where he reawakens from a coma, and along his long road to rehabilitation. The story moves between the past, as Stanley recounts the course of her life with Simon and their son before the accident, and a present filled with excruciating anxiety about Simon's health and future. It's a difficult story to follow, both because it is so painful for Simon and his family, and because they endure a laborious trek through the labyrinthine passages of the medical system, but the man whose portrait Stanley paints is endearing, and her love for him is resilient and unquestionable. Along with descriptions of personal healing experiences, including the important role of music in Simon's recovery, Stanley also includes some recent neuromedical research. This doesn't always feel like a natural fit and slows the book down, but otherwise this is a compelling story of strength and love.
