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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
An unforgettable trip Oct 10, 2008
A review of Alistair McHarg's "Invisible Driving" based solely on its literary merits would yield effusive, well-deserved praise, for everything about it from a technical standpoint is flawless: compelling, fluid storytelling; wildly inventive use of language; beautifully crafted narrative. However, to do so would also be missing its most important, and I believe central, point: to communicate the visceral, raw power and energy of the human psyche, stretched and twisted to its most extreme.
To say that I was moved by Mr. McHarg's memoir of a particularly harrowing Manic-Depressive episode isn't quite right. Stirred, shaken, rattled to the teeth...would all be more accurate. Mr. McHarg's gift for poetry draws you straight into his head with utterly compelling emotional depth and breadth. The chapters alternate between the wildly careening "play-by-play" of his manic episode with narration that provides essential back story as well as a strong framework on which he develops the story of his eventual fall and subsequent recovery. This contrapuntal technique also provides a stark, sharp contrast between his mindset during the episode and the completeness with which his entire being is changed by its end. As the "manic" storyline gains momentum, the author's skill is such that his thought processes subtly begin to make a scary kind of sense, drawing you into his twisted logic even further and leaving you feeling almost like a co-conspirator.
This isn't a story intended to impress, surprise or shock, which for me was a significant part of its appeal. It is told with complete, unvarnished honesty and astonishing fearlessness. You love him, you hate him; you think he's insane, you think he's a genius. And through it all, you're in his grip and you don't want him to let go. It's a journey that's alternately brilliant, savagely funny, heartbreaking, terrifying and inspiring...straight into the maelstrom of madness and back out again, finally, into the light. This one will stay with you for a long time. Get it, fasten your seatbelts, and go "Invisible Driving" with Alistair McHarg. It is a trip you will never, ever forget.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Thank you, Allistair Jul 26, 2008
Thank you for this story. I opened this book with a pretty decent understanding of depression but not of this disease. I was immediately drawn in by the author's wit and irrisistable writing style. Often, as a reader I feel like I am in the author's head , but never more than I did when I was immersed in Invisible Driving. I could feel the pain and the euphoria, sometimes both at once. At times I closed the book exhausted and other times, laughing hysterically. This is how I know that he got to me. I get it now. And anyone who knows anyone who suffers should read this too, so that they can understand.
But mostly, this is a story about grabbing life, shaking out the wrinkles, and making it your own,to the limited extent that any of us can. You will be inspired. I know I was.
1 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Pathetic Jul 16, 2008
I must say I tried to like this book I really did. After reading many reviews and hearing good things about this book, I decided to check it out. I am sorry that I did. This book attempts to be original and give insight though all it does is bore the reader to death. The so-called author of this book apears to lack any type of insight into the topic at hand though he tries to pass his lack of knowledge off through wit. What results is a filthy , degrading, piece of pretenious garabage. I have one thing to say to the author, GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Fever-Pitch May 02, 2008
Successfully describing an unusual state of mind to the unitiated is very much like trying to explain an exotic smell. Mere words are poor cousins to the actual experience. Alistair McHarg, however, manages to get on the roller coaster that is his mental illness and put you firmly in the seat right behind him. The reader can't see out the front (only those who have lived it could), but can feel the dips, turns and breathtaking drops from the ride. Exciting and terrifying, his use of language produces a visceral response. We are navigated through an extended, autobiographical manic episode which, at the outset, may appear a little fun until one realizes that it (he) is spinning out of control. Sadly, this mania seems to produce a virtual allergy to intimacy when he most needs the grounding qualities of close friends and family. We learn that, in the end, there is nothing glamourous about this fever-pitched lifestyle especially when you're living it.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
A Masterpiece Apr 14, 2008
Alistair McHarg's memoir of his battle with Manic Depression is a Masterpiece. It is a gripping tale, wrought with heart wrenching emotion and bizarre hilarity that grabs hold of the reader and does not let go. McHarg's writing genius is undeniable. His wordplay and razor sharp wit is as much art as it is technical perfection. This is a stunning piece of literature.
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