{"id":8602,"date":"2026-06-07T01:00:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T01:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/josephrauch.com\/therauchreview\/?p=8602"},"modified":"2026-06-07T01:00:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T01:00:40","slug":"susanna-kaysen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/josephrauch.com\/therauchreview\/author-profiles\/susanna-kaysen\/","title":{"rendered":"Susanna Kaysen: A Writer Who Plays With Form and Genre"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trigger Warning:<\/strong> Discussion of suicide and mental health<\/p>\n

While living in the Faroe Islands and working on a novel loosely inspired by her anthropologist husband, Susanna Kaysen<\/a> first conceived of the book that would become \u201cGirl, Interrupted.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the novel, \u201cFar Afield,\u201d Kaysen\u2019s main character is an anthropologist researching a small village, studying in part the structure of this self-contained place. It was here that Kaysen realized she had lived in a similar place at an earlier moment in her life: McLean Hospital<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During her stay at the hospital, she had observed its hierarchies, rules and customs. She played the role of an anthropologist. The idea for a memoir \u2014 one that didn\u2019t live within the traditional boundaries of the genre \u2014 began to take shape. Once she finished writing \u201cFar Afield,\u201d Kaysen turned her attention to the memoir.<\/p>\n

Even still, writing a memoir in the typical form was wholly unappealing. Kaysen didn\u2019t want to write about herself, her family or the events leading up to her time living at McLean Hospital. By approaching the book as an observer of her situation during those 18 months, Kaysen could free her story without revealing to readers the fear she felt as an 18-year-old who was suddenly stuck in a mental hospital. Once the book was published, it took on a life of its own.<\/p>\n

Between her novels and memoirs, Kaysen demonstrates her ability to be a keen observer of the strangeness of being human and the fragility of body and mind. This approach helps readers see themselves in Kaysen\u2019s work. At the same time, she helped open the door to challenge the structure for how one writes their own story.<\/p>\n

Susanna Kaysen Biography: How Refusing to Write About Herself Led to a Groundbreaking Memoir<\/h2>\n

Susanna Kaysen was born on November 11, 1948 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Annette and Carl Kaysen. She went to primary school in Boston before attending the Commonwealth School<\/a> and the Cambridge School of Weston for high school<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After a suicide attempt in 1967, Kaysen was sent to McLean Hospital, a psychiatric institution in Belmont, Massachusetts<\/a>. This hospital also housed artists James Taylor, Robert Lowell<\/a> and Sylvia Plath<\/a>. The hospital had made an earlier literary appearance in Plath\u2019s \u201cThe Bell Jar.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

During her nearly two years in the hospital, Kaysen was treated for clinical depression and diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD), a mental health condition marked by intense mood swings, impulsive behavior and depression. Her experience there would form the bedrock for \u201cGirl, Interrupted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout her career, Kaysen blurred the line between fiction and memoir. Her earliest works, \u201cAsa, as I Knew Him\u201d and \u201cFar Afield,\u201d settle firmly in fiction, although they take some inspiration from real-life experiences. With \u201cGirl, Interrupted,\u201d Kaysen formally ventured into memoir territory, but charted a path of her own.<\/p>\n

A traditional memoir is a first-person account of some part of the writer\u2019s life. It\u2019s uniquely fallible, as these stories rely entirely on subjective memory (memory is a theme you\u2019ll see sprinkled throughout Kaysen\u2019s work). But Kaysen approached \u201cGirl, Interrupted\u201d as an observer.<\/p>\n

What little interiority readers do get is through a handful of Kaysen\u2019s medical documents that the writer fought to get her hands on several years after leaving McLean. She explained the effect of this approach<\/a>, saying, \u201cthere was enough blank space in it for people to insert themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kaysen\u2019s deadpan humor and ironic tone across her work foster a reading experience that amuses and disarms before forcing readers to face sometimes harsh realities. She carved out a space for herself between genres and made it her own.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Books by Susanna Kaysen<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Asa,<\/a><\/span><\/div>
BUY NOW<\/span><\/a><\/div>
BUY NOW<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
‘Asa, as I Knew Him<\/a>‘<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
1987<\/strong><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

This title is Kaysen’s first book and first novel. After an affair with her boss, Asa, ends, narrator Dinah builds a fictionalized past that retells his youth as she sees it. Throughout the novel, Kaysen explores themes of love, memory and the stories we tell ourselves about the people in our lives. It also offers clever and poignant observations about office life for women in the 1980s.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Reviews<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/span>
4.3 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

Amazon<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/span>
3.2 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

StoryGraph<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/span>
3.53 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

Goodreads<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Far<\/a><\/span><\/div>
BUY NOW<\/span><\/a><\/div>
BUY NOW<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
‘Far Afield<\/a>‘<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
1990<\/strong><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

Kaysen\u2019s second work of fiction, \u201cFar Afield,\u201d draws on her time living in the Faroe Islands. Readers follow a Harvard anthropology student who\u2019s conducting fieldwork on the islands while he struggles to navigate local culture, cuisine and a complicated relationship with a Danish woman. Throughout the novel, Kaysen skillfully balances satire and compassion.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Reviews<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/span>
4.1 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

Amazon<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/span>
3.88 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

StoryGraph<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/span>
3.85 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

Goodreads<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Girl,<\/a><\/span><\/div>
BUY NOW<\/span><\/a><\/div>
BUY NOW<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
‘Girl, Interrupted<\/a>‘<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
1993<\/strong><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

\u201cGirl, Interrupted\u201d is Kaysen\u2019s most well-known book and her first memoir. It follows the author\u2019s experience at McLean Hospital over her 18-month stay, but plays with the genre\u2019s form.<\/p>\n

Rather than construct a memoir around her experiences, Kaysen positions herself as an observer. She writes about the women around her, including their conversations, actions and backstories, to offer readers a glimpse into women\u2019s mental health treatment in the 1960s.<\/p>\n

She uses a nonlinear narrative structure to shake up the reader’s sense of time, just as Kaysen\u2019s experience of time during her stay became abstract due to the repetition and monotony of everyday life.<\/p>\n

Editorial Note: <\/i>Read our full review of \u201cGirl, Interrupted\u201d here<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Reviews<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/span>
4.4 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

Amazon<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/span>
3.87 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

StoryGraph<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/span>
3.9 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

Goodreads<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"The<\/a><\/span><\/div>
BUY NOW<\/span><\/a><\/div>
BUY NOW<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
‘The Camera My Mother Gave Me<\/a>‘<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
2001<\/strong><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

Kaysen\u2019s second memoir follows her experience visiting several doctors, including internists, gynecologists and \u201calternative health\u201d physicians, to uncover the cause of her chronic vaginal pain. The book examines how this pain impacted her sexuality and relationships, exploring how sex and sexuality impact one\u2019s perception of oneself.<\/p>\n

She also critiques the medical system in its failure to provide her with answers or ease her discomfort. Kaysen writes in her characteristically wry humor as she grapples with women\u2019s health and aging.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Reviews<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/span>
3.9 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

Amazon<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/span>
3.48 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

StoryGraph<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/span>
3.4 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

Goodreads<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Cambridge,<\/a><\/span><\/div>
BUY NOW<\/span><\/a><\/div>
BUY NOW<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
‘Cambridge<\/a>‘<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
2014<\/strong><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

While technically fiction, Kaysen\u2019s most recent book, \u201cCambridge,\u201d has a memoir bent<\/a>. Readers follow the young narrator, Susanna, as she moves between London, Florence and Athens for her father\u2019s work, all while exploring her love for home in Cambridge.<\/p>\n

She navigates constantly feeling like an outsider alongside themes of memory and nostalgia. The book is set in the early 1950s and told as an adult narrator reflecting on her youth.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Reviews<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/span>
3.7 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

Amazon<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/span>
3.35 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

StoryGraph<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/span>
3.28 out of 5<\/div><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

Goodreads<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Kaysen\u2019s Cultural Views Expressed Outside of Books<\/h2>\n

In a 2023 interview with The Cut<\/a>, Kaysen responded to a question about the use of medical language and self-diagnosis today. She expressed how a diagnosis of a mental health condition results in a full stop. The diagnostic label, in her view, is used as a way to explain away a difficult emotion or period of time in one\u2019s life rather than engaging with it.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the same interview, Kaysen discussed how many people underestimate the destructiveness of the COVID pandemic. It cut people off from one another \u2014 one of the worst things you can do to people living through a terrifying and unpredictable moment in history. She expressed this point as part of the reason record levels of teenage girls are reporting \u201cpersistent sadness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Book to Film<\/h2>\n

\u201cGirl, Interrupted\u201d is the only book of Kaysen\u2019s to be adapted into a film and is today considered a cult classic. It started as a passion project of Winona Ryder, who portrayed Kaysen. Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall and Whoopi Goldberg also appeared in the movie.<\/p>\n

The movie\u2019s plot strays from the book\u2019s storyline by adding scenes that lend to the dramatic effect of the story and simplify the narrative. It received mixed reviews upon release, but ultimately earned several prestigious award nominations, including Angelina Jolie\u2019s Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.<\/p>\n

In a 2023 interview, Kaysen discussed the book being optioned for a film<\/a> almost immediately after publication. Yet, as the film\u2019s production wore on, Kaysen grew more detached from the adaptation and its deviations from the book\u2019s storyline. She said, \u201cIt\u2019s a movie. I wrote a book. They\u2019re making a movie. They\u2019re not the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quotes<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u201cNot everything has a happy ending, and not everything has an ending. Some things just kind of dribble away or cut off abruptly.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u201cLunatics are similar to designated hitters. Often an entire family is crazy, but since an entire family can\u2019t go into the hospital, one person is designated as crazy and goes inside.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u201cCrazy isn’t being broken or swallowing a dark secret. It’s you or me amplified. If you ever told a lie and enjoyed it. If you ever wished you could be a child forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2015 Girl, Interrupted<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u201cHave you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you have the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your train moving while sitting still? Maybe I was just crazy. Maybe it was the 60’s. Or maybe I was just a girl… interrupted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2015 Girl, Interrupted<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u201cI told her once I wasn\u2019t good at anything. She told me survival is a talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2015 Girl, Interrupted<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Authors Like Susanna Kaysen<\/h2>\n