Inferno

A Memoir of Motherhood and Madness

By: Catherine Cho

Narrated by: Catherine Cho

Inferno is the riveting memoir of a young mother who is separated from her newborn son and husband when she's involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward in New Jersey after a harrowing bout of postpartum psychosis.

This program is read by the author.

When Catherine Cho and her husband set off from London to introduce their newborn son to family scattered across the United States, she could not have imagined what lay in store. Before the trip’s end, she develops psychosis, a complete break from reality, which causes her to lose all sense of time and place, including what is real and not real. In desperation, her husband admits her to a nearby psychiatric hospital, where she begins the hard work of rebuilding her identity.

In this unwaveringly honest, insightful, and often shocking memoir, Catherine reconstructs her sense of self, starting with her childhood as the daughter of Korean immigrants, moving through a traumatic past relationship, and on to the early years of her courtship with and marriage to her husband, James. She masterfully interweaves these parts of her past with a vivid, immediate recounting of the days she spent in the ward.

The result is a powerful exploration of psychosis and motherhood, at once intensely personal, yet holding within it a universal experience - of how we love, live, and understand ourselves in relation to each other.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company

©2020 Catherine Cho (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

recommend

I read this with my book club. I thought this was really good, moving, and inspiring. It rang so authentic. I felt so much empathy for the author and her husband, and I felt awe in her courage to tell her story in the way she did. It is a story of extreme struggle and of resilience and love. Beautifully done and read, in my opinion.

Just listened a second time, so good

I think this book is outstanding and the writing feels even more powerful because the author is the narrator, too.

Great story-which I had read the book.

I thought the story was very well written, and told such a good story of something so difficult that so many women struggle with. I wish though that I had read it as a book, instead of listened to it.The Author’s
Voice was flat, the entire story. For such an emotional topic, especially one she herself lived through, think it would have been better, even
More realistic, if there was more intonation and emotion shared within the words.

Harrowing and immersive

I can see how the narrator’s voice might make it hard for some listeners to stay with it, but I actually liked it — the lack of affect helped to put me in her perspective.. When she described her psychosis from her POV I felt I could actually see things her way and it made it even more harrowing. Her story mirrors that of some of my loved ones with bipolar disorder. It is at times heartbreaking and touching — her husband and family truly loves her. I’m glad it ends with her recovery. Beautifully written memoir.

Rare gem of a memoir

A rare, brave inside look at post partum psychosis. A helpful listen for people seeking to understand ppd or post partum psychosis. We need more people writing and discussing this. Many thanks to the author for sharing so candidly.

Powerful, breathtaking, real

This is one of the best books I have read in a while. As a mother myself who has traveled my own postpartum journey, it was refreshing and powerful to see another mom’s real, honest story. To travel with her through her breaking and end with her finding herself again.

Not for me

I appreciated the authors willingness to share her story. I found it hard to listen to often feeling confused by the fluidity of the imagined, the past and the present. it was a depressing book and for me I did not enjoy it. I do hope that others whom have perhaps experienced or known someone who has experienced post partum psychosis find hope and encouragement from this book.

A story that needs to be told

The story is compelling and honestly important. We do need so much improvement in how we respond to mental health issues that are specifically brought on by hormonal changes. It was at times difficult to stay engaged in the tale because the author/reader lacked much affect in her voice. But I do think the story is still an important and vivid tale of a harrowing event in this woman’s life and how she was able to overcome with the love and support of her husband and some very dedicated mental health professionals.