The Prince of Tides

Reviewer:
Stephanie Langston

Genre:
Fiction Adult

Subject Headings:
Self-injurious behavior, Violence/assault

Review:
While reading The Prince of Tides, I thought this would be an excellent resource for counselors in the mental health or student development fields. Author Pat Conroy presents a powerful image of a family in crisis as a result of past family sexual abuse and marital problems. Protagonist Tom Wingo finds out that his twin sister, Savannah, has attempted suicide. He travels to New York to help be her "memory” of her past life events because she is not able to recall the trauma on her own. A female psychiatrist, Dr. Susan Lowenstein, helps both siblings recover the memories of sexual abuse/rape that occurred in childhood.Without the aid of Dr. Lowenstein, Tom would not have been able to move forward.Tom goes through a cathartic confrontation with his past.

As a future counselor, I will more than likely work with families who are experiencing relationship difficulties due to a history of abuse. The post-traumatic stress disorder with which Tom and Savannah struggled caused them to live mere shadows of their lives, even though both were successful professionally.