Brain Damage

McFadden’s experience as a practicing physician specializing in brain injury lends authenticity to Brain Damage. The novel’s dedication, “For my patients” (3), signals the link between her clinical work and fiction. The narrative provides a detailed depiction of recovery from a traumatic brain injury (TBI), a condition resulting from a violent jolt to the head that disrupts normal brain function. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “a person with a moderate or severe TBI may need ongoing care to help with their recovery” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion, About Moderate and Severe TBI, 16 May 2024). TBIs often result in long-term complications that affect thinking, motor skills, sensation, and emotional functioning, all of which Charly experiences.

A common complication is hemispatial neglect, a neuropsychological condition common after injury to the brain. Patients who have this condition lose awareness of the area opposite the side of the injured brain hemisphere, and “it has proven to be a challenging condition to understand, and to treat” (Parton, A., Malhotra, P., and Husain, M. “Hemispatial Neglect.” Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 2004.