“Holly” (post 2) by Stephen King: Lexapro vs. Show, Don’t Tell

The protagonist, Holly (1), has appeared previously (2), but this latest book, with her as the title character, would be expected to include everything important.

Once again, she is said to be taking Lexapro (1, p. 61), a psychiatric antidepressant medication (3) used to treat patients with any of several different diagnoses, including depression and OCD.

However, I am almost finished reading this novel, and there has not been any scene showing Holly in psychiatric treatment, which violates the literary maxim, “Show, Don’t tell” (4). So I don’t know her psychiatrist’s specific diagnosis, what it was based on, and what kind of psychotherapy, if any, has been provided.

In addition to indications that Holly has multiple personality, discussed in post 1, this new novel says “romance at short notice” is Holly’s specialty:

“Holly tells Harris the car-theft story, which she has refined on the way over—like the little girl in the Saki story, romance at short notice is her specialty” (1, p. 298).

Comment: “Romance at short notice” is more consistent with multiple personality than with anything treated by Lexapro.

1. Stephen King. Holly. New York, Scribner, 2023

2. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly_Gibney

3. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escitalopram

4. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show%2C_don't_tell