Life Size (1992), a novel by Jenefer Shute, tells of a young woman who has been hospitalized for another mental illness: anorexia nervosa. The novel switches between the past and the present, detailing the woman's recovery while showing the factors that led to her eating disorder.

Bloom's collection Come to Me features beautifully rendered stories about people suffering from any myriad of problems and mental illnesses. "Hyacinths" tells the story of a childhood incident in which the father in "Silver Water" accidentally shoots his cousin. "The Sight of You" details the mother's affair with a handsome neighbor who wants to marry her.

Bloom's novel Love Invents Us chronicles the lifetime of a woman named Elizabeth, from her abusive childhood to her dissatisfied adulthood. Along the way, Elizabeth grapples with all the typical things that make up a life, but she also...