26 pages • 52 minutes read
Heart Berries
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Heart Berries is a memoir written in connected, lyrical vignettes by Terese Marie Mailhot. It was published in 2018. The book tells the story of Mailhot’s life as a First Nations woman who moves from Canada to the American Southwest, struggles with bipolar disorder, and comes to terms with her past traumas and tumultuous, sometimes violent marriage.
Plot Summary
The beginning of the book chronicles Mailhot’s love affair with a White man named Casey, who leaves her after she checks herself into a psychiatric hospital and is diagnosed with PTSD and bipolar disorder. Mailhot records her time in the hospital from the perspective of an Indian woman, whose experience isn’t represented by the rational Western medical system. Despite the pain of her hospitalization and abandonment, Mailhot decides to continue her love affair with Casey—at first as a casual lover, and then monogamously.
Mailhot and Casey conceive a child in a pecan field during a particularly difficult period in their relationship. During the pregnancy, Mailhot begins an MFA and must go off her bipolar medication, which results in incredible emotional pain. She and her son Isaiah move in with Casey, and Mailhot gives birth to another son, whom she calls a Unlock all 26 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
