Post by janetandjohn on Aug 4, 2018 19:28:41 GMT
During my childhood, both my parents worked at The Old Manor, a local mental hospital (as it was referred to then in the 1950's and 60's). It was, like the asylum in this book, a village of its own. My father was the mattress maker and upholsterer, and my Mum worked in the linen room, sorting sheets, pillowcases, mattress covers etc, for makeovers. The sheets that were worn in the middle were turned edge to middle for a longer life. If the sheets were worn too badly the "best bits" were made into pillowcases. My Mum did the sewing of these too. So when I found out about this book I was intrigued to say the least, because The Old Manor had a full sized ballroom with a sprung floor, just as described here. Enough of my history.
Many people were incarcerated in asylums in those early days that were not mentally ill in the then accepted sense of the word; perhaps severely depressed because of a trauma, or perhaps like the character of Ella, because she had broken a window at the factory just to see the sky.... can you imagine that? Or like John, because he had ended up in the poorhouse, and was not well enough to work. (My Mum had a friend who had been in the institution for 40 plus years because she came from a wealthy family and had become pregnant at 15.) The main characters in this heartwrenching tale have chapter headings of their own, so the chapters are short, each one revealing a little bit of history, or current life. The power that staff had over the inmates as described here was truly awful, particularly if they were employed only because of their strength (to hold a patient down whilst they fought to be free), a case of brawn not brains. And also included is the tale of a young medical man from a wealthy family on the staff who has a secret of his own.
I found this a particularly well written book, with a lot of good research by the author including facts about her great great grandfather, transferred to an asylum from the poorhouse, dying there 9 long years later. Do read the author's note at the back - for those unfamiliar with asylums as a way of housing the mentally ill this will be an eye-opener. So will Churchill's early views on Eugenics.....mmmm.
