This book may seem puzzling, but I think perhaps that is the author's presentation. The question of whether Denis' housemates are real or imaginary is explored so well. I love that Denis' "trousers were pressed so well"; the writing is superb, and I applaud the author for his sensitivity and poignancy.

“Me, Myself and Them” addresses the serious mental health issues associated with PTSD. In this case, the protagonist develops a personal support system that includes only being able to deal with even numbers, obsessively washing his hands after touching the “unclean” and a host of other OCD behaviors. I applaud the author, Dan Mooney, for his honesty in telling a story that is clearly near to his heart.

Like Rebecca, I loved Denis, and wanted to heal him, but ultimately he has to heal himself.

Me, Myself and Them pulled me in with a strong start that paints a picture of the detailed life of a very persnickety and exacting man, Denis Murphy. He lives by a strict routine, following a minute-by-minute schedule he prepares for himself each day. He views any deviations from his plans and requirements (deviations such as things running late, items being grouped in odd numbers instead of even, or maybe a person accidentally touching him) as a major catastrophe.

These catastrophes will lead him home to be comforted by his four roommates, who just so happen to be monsters. The monsters take care of Denis by creating huge messes for him to focus his energy and mind on cleaning instead of thinking about the traumatic event that led him to live his life in such an unusual way. When someone from the past reappears in Denis's life, it becomes a battle of wits and war of wills between the monsters who want to keep him on the path that has kept him safe for several years, and the friend who wants to remind him how he used to live his life.

I really wanted to love this book, and for the first half to two thirds of the way through I thought I was going to be recommending this book to several people I know. There are not enough strong pieces of fiction covering mental illness in a realistic way, and they get even rarer when the story is told from the perspective of the ill person, and rarer still to be addressing mental illness in men. I want to see stories in this category succeed!

But, for me, the story started to drag a bit at some point in the second half. The action becomes a bit repetitive and it starts to get harder to believe that Denis's friends and family aren't more concerned and more on to the "shenanigans" as the roommate monsters ramp up in the war against his family and friends. Unfortunately, this is probably a highly realistic account of how things might go -- it's just too realistic to be believable in a work of fiction :(

Although this book did not turn out, as I'd hoped, to be one of my all-time favourites, I still enjoyed this book. I would recommend this to anyone who has had to deal up close and personal with the dirty, nitty-gritty and utterly nonsensical way that mental illness can pervade a person to the very core. I definitely enjoyed the personalities and quirks of each of the characters within. I laughed with them, and my heart broke a little for each of them as well. I'll be looking for more from author Dan Mooney -- I love the way he crafted these characters and I am confident I'll enjoy reading more of his work.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with this free e-ARC. It was very appreciated.

I could not get into the book. The characters did not intrigue me nor was the story line strong enough to keep my interest

Not my type of book.... a bit slow, maybe a beach read as its a page turner but unmemorable overall.

There’s an old joke: How many psychologists does it take to change a lightbulb? One, but only if the light bulb wants to change. Denis Murphy, the protagonist of Dan Mooney’s Me, Myself, and Them, is a light bulb that does not want to change. He’s fine, thank you very much. Seven years after a devastating car crash that killed his sister and best friend, Denis lives an isolated life. He has severe OCD, can’t bear to touch anyone, constantly blames himself for the accident—and cleaning up after his four roommates who may or may not be manifestations of his emotions.

Denis might have continued to live his rigidly confined life if Rebecca hadn’t walked back into his life near the beginning of the novel. There mere sight of her released emotions that he’s been suppressing for all those seven years. In addition, Rebecca is not like his other friends and his mother. She refuses to let him keep his restricted life. Suddenly, he loses track of his routines, can’t concentrate on work, and starts to argue with his destructive “roommates.”

Me, Myself, and Them is a memorable story of a man recovering from a devastating trauma because of those roommates. One is an anthropomorphized hairball named Deano. Another is a cat woman named Penny O’Neill. The third is a zombie named Professor Scorpion. The last is a sinister clown called Plasterer. While the first three roommates might be willing to go, Plasterer is violently stubborn about maintaining the status quo. Somehow, Denis has to find the will and strength to overcome his dysfunctional coping mechanisms. As usual for fiction, this is easier said than done. Denis has been living this life for seven years and the memories he has to face are terrible.

I really enjoyed the way Me, Myself, and Them handles mental illness and recovering from trauma. Nothing is easy; if it was easy, it would have seemed facile and superficial. By making Denis’ emotions actual characters helps us understand what Denis is going through. It’s not just grief that he feels. He feels anger, regret, guilt, sorrow, and more. We see not just the depth of Denis’ feelings, but also the breadth. This is a sad book, but offers a unique perspective for readers who want to read stories of recovery and forgiveness.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration. It will be released 19 June 2018.