Summary"I know that you love me because you still make love to me
even after we have a fight." She was right. Her sorrow and
embarrassment at her outbursts were real, and her attempts
to control her anger so earnest that I knew she was trying
for me, for herself, and for us. I had to remind myself
that I had known that she was intense to the extreme in her
experience of life, and that her struggle was my struggle.
We would share anger, but we would also share love. No one could ever love Michelle enough. Not her family, not
her friends, and certainly not the men (and women) she so
easily attracted, like moths to a flame. But when a final-
year med student falls for her while she's recovering from
a suicide attempt over her latest breakup, they both may be
in for more than they bargained for. Hoping to help cure
her of her debilitating fears and explosive rage, Anthony
marries Michelle in a secret ceremony that alienates him
from his family, and ultimately from himself. Initially
mesmerized by her seductive smile, her surprising
sensuality, and the why behind her wildly unpredictable
behavior, the author comes to realize that he will have to
sacrifice his career--and more--in order to be with her. This achingly honest and true account of Anthony and
Michelle's whirlwind year-and-a-half together provides a
window into the emotionally intense world of someone
suffering from borderline personality disorder, a condition
seen in an estimated 2 percent of the general population
and 10 percent of mental health outpatients. It also offers
the perspective of those most affected--the sufferer's
loved ones, whom despite all the upheaval are still
compelled to care. So concludes the author: "I hope that my
story will be seen more as a case study in such a
relationship than as a cautionary tale."
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