A couple of weeks without an update, sorry. I have been reading, I’ve just not been very good at writing about what I’ve read. This means a longer post now however, so hopefully it was worth the wait. This most recent batch was an interesting selection indeed, entirely by women writers and featuring mental health issues more than once.

#14 Clare Morrall – ‘The Language Of Others’
I enjoyed Ms Morrall’s first novel, ‘Astonishing Splashes of Colour’ very much, although I found ‘Natural Flights of the Human Mind’ less free-flowing. I was nevertheless enthusiastic about the release of her third novel however, particularly when I heard that it centres on a woman with Asperger’s Syndrome.

In my professional life I have encountered and worked with several people with Asperger’s Syndrome, and for someone without the disorder or the knowledge that comes with working with those with the syndrome Clare Morrall wrote believably on the subject. The novel also serves to illustrate that many AS individuals can live independent and “normal” lives – something not portrayed often enough in the media. Ms Morrall’s handling of the subject was not without idealism and cliche (her also AS son is obsessed with computers, for example).

In general, the characterisation in ‘The Language Of Others’ was skillfully crafted, crossing age, class and gender with ease and smoothly incorporating a varied cast into the novel. Protagonist Jessica’s ex-husband was something of a problematic character however – deeply troubled and highly erratic we are offered no explanation for his behaviour, although throughout I was expecting him to be revealed as having AS too. That gripe aside, ‘The Language Of Others’ lived up to my expectations and was every bit as abosrbing as ‘Astonishing Splashes of Colour’.

#15 Ali Smith – ‘Like’

Another book from an author I have previously enjoyed (‘The Accidental’ and ‘Boy Meets Girl’ proving impossible to put down), this time her debut novel published in 1997. Told in two parts, ‘Like’ is told in Ms Smith’s characteristic poetic style, and set in the north of Scotland that she knows so well. Its opening section is rife with unsolved mystery and rather more slow-moving than would perhaps be ideal. I failed to be instantly captured but persevered into the second part of the novel, where the story and Ms Smith’s writing took off. Honing in on the tumultuous friendship between Amy and Ash in Cambridge in the 1980s, we are taken through feelings of adoration, fustration, the Scotland/England and class divides via some deft summings-up of the intense negativity the competitiveness of Cambridge can breed, all in a beautiful style. Like all Ali Smith’s books, highly recommended.

#16 Marya Hornbacher ‘Madness: A Bipolar Life’
I was very excited to read this book, being a fan of Ms Hornbacher’s previous book ‘Wasted’ and having an interest in bipolar illness. Initially I was a little disappointed as the opening chapters of ‘Madness’ were very short and somehwat disjointed – I wasn’t drawn into the book as quickly and deeply as with ‘Wasted’. As the tale progressed the chapters became longer and I was able to engage more fully with the book, although at times the focus seemed to slip away again (eg in the Hospilazation sections).

As ‘Wasted’ was for eating disorders, ‘Madness’ is a depiction of bipolar disorder at its most severe. This makes for a shocking read and, given that the severity of the illness was due in part to Marya’s initial refusal to follow treatment, it may help to empathize the importance of other sufferers doing so. It also paints a rather biased view of the illness, and one that may not help to reduce the stigma for other sufferers – bipolar is described as something that causes people to spend their lives going in and out of hospital, having electroshock therapy and taking handfuls of pills every day. It may be like that for some people, but by no means all; of course ‘Madness’ is a memoir but a little more balance wouldn’t have gone amiss. These reservations aside however, ‘Madness’ was an insightful and (largely) extremely well-written book, readable and often fascinating.