mental illness

Review: The Psychopath Test

February 20, 2012 | Uncategorized

Sometimes it surprises me how the books popular in the blogosphere aren’t always the same ones as in the real world. I’ve only ever seen The Psychopath Test on one blog (Katie’s Book Blog – click here for her review) but when I went into the library the other day, they had seven shiny new copies on the New Release shelf. Not only that, but they were one-week-loan only, presumably because they’re just that in demand. I reserved my copy because I didn’t realise just how many would be in stock!

What if society wasn’t fundamentally rational, but was motivated by insanity? This thought sets Jon Ronson on an utterly compelling adventure into the world of madness. Along the way, Jon meets psychopaths, those whose lives have been touched by madness and those whose job it is to diagnose it, including the influential psychologist who developed the Psychopath Test, from whom Jon learns the art of psychopath-spotting. A skill which seemingly reveals that madness could indeed be at the heart of everything . . . Combining Jon’s trademark humour, charm and investigative incision, The Psychopath Test is both entertaining and honest, unearthing dangerous truths and asking serious questions about how we define normality in a world where we are increasingly judged by our maddest edges.

Everybody’s heard the term psychopath before, but how many of us actually know what it means? Therein lies the premise of Jon Ronson’s book – what is a psychopath and why do so many influential businessmen display the symptoms? Prompted by a mysterious package sent to many leading academics, Mr. Ronson eventually tracks down the man responsible and is intrigued by his odd mannerisms. This leads to a deep investigation of psychopathy and those who suffer from it – a mature, intriguing look at aspects of the mental health regulations worldwide.

The actual Psychopath Test is a checklist devised by Bob Hare, used by medical institutions worldwide in an attempt to discover whether an individual is genuinely a psychopath. It includes symptoms such as pathological lying, lack of remorse and irresponsibility and is said to be the fool-proof method of detection. Jon Ronson meets with Mr. Hare to discuss various consequences of the existence of such a test. For example, the author frequently found himself quietly diagnosing his friends and relatives with psychopathy – like he was actually looking for reasons to deem them a psychopath.

I can sympathise. I’ve spent the week since I read The Psychopath Test informing The Boy that he is, in fact, a psychopath. I’ve even blu-tacked a list entitled ‘Why Lewis is a Psychopath’ to the radiator and I update it periodically. When he gets annoyed, I tell him that it’s because he has a grandiose sense of self-worth – as befits a true psychopath.

It can actually have more serious consequences than infuriating your loved one, however. The author meets with Toby, an inmate at Broadmoor who pretended to be a psychopath to avoid a prison sentence. Now, years after his sentence would have ended, the authorities refuse to release him because they still believe in his psychopathy despite his confession. Similarly, an experiment was conducted a few years ago where eight ‘normal’ people were told to complain that they heard a voice saying three words, but otherwise act completely normal. Each of those people was incarcerated and struggled to convince doctors of their sanity. Later, the head of the experiment told the mental hospitals that more individuals were about to carry out the same concept. A month later, the authorities proudly announced they’d caught forty imposters. How many had actually been sent in? None.

So obviously the Test isn’t infallible, and that’s what Jon Ronson sets out to investigate. On the way, he discusses the views of different organisations on the psychological profession, a number of conspiracy theories and speaks with a few successful business men suspected of psychopathy. It’s not always strictly on topic, but then at least it’s never repetetive.

It has a very conversational tone – almost as if Mr. Ronson was sat across from you in a coffee shop, casually discussing psychopathy. As you do, obviously. He rambles sometimes and then suddenly realises and jumps back on track, but I like that. It never comes across as pretentious or preachy… Instead it’s informal and friendly.

A quote on the cover proclaims how gloriously funny it is, but I didn’t really see it that way. I mean, I really enjoyed it and I loved Mr. Ronson’s ‘voice,’ but it’s not a funny book. But hey, I think that added to my enjoyment. I’d have respected The Psychopath Test a lot less if it trivialised psychopathy or tried to joke about the consequences.

Long story short, I really enjoyed this book. It’s a very, very accessible piece of non-fiction, but without talking down to the audience. I’ll definitely be seeking out Jon Ronson’s other work- The Men Who Stare At Goats in particular.

Review: Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

October 31, 2011 | Uncategorized

I first saw this book years and years ago in Borders when I was about fourteen. I was attracted to it by the odd sideways layout (that I can’t seem to find a picture of) but then promptly forgot about it until last week when I came across it in the library. Not only was I pleased to see it, I’m the first person ever to check it out which is always a tiny thrill.

Charlie Gordon, IQ 68, is a floor sweeper, and the gentle butt of everyone’s jokes, until an experiment in the enhancement of human intelligence turns him into a genius. But then Algernon, the mouse whose triumphal experimental tranformation preceded his, fades and dies, and Charlie has to face the possibility that his salvation was only temporary.

This has to be one of the most depressing books I’ve ever read, and I’ve read Sylvia Plath. It’s the kind of book where you want to claw out your own eyes when you’ve finished so you never ever have to feel that miserable ever again. Only a very powerful book can make you feel that way, and Flowers for Algernon definitely succeeds. The last page in particular made me actually whimper with the sheer injustice. I was laid in bed at 2am (because I was that intent on finishing it) with my mouth wide open, gasping at what I’d just read.

Charlie isn’t a likeable character particularly – before the experiment he is friendly yet naive, but afterwards he is so arrogant, cynical and hostile that I just wanted to punch him. Watching his rise to dizzying heights and then tumble back down can’t help but make you feel for the man though. One of the most hurtful parts for me was watching Charlie realise that the people he thought were his friends had actually been mocking him for his odd behaviour. Similarly, he slowly remembers his childhood and his Mother who loathed him for being ‘different.’ Those parts in particular made me want to shun the human race completely and go live in a cave.

It’s not an easy book to read, and not just because of the resulting misery. The first chapters are written in a very similar way to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time as it’s written as a sort of diary by Charlie himself. As his intelligence increases, so do his reports and eventually they read like a scientific report which is equally difficult to process. It’s not an action-packed book by a long stretch – it’s more Charlie’s musings on what’s happening to him and his record of the memories that are slowly coming back to him.

There is a film (called Charlie, I believe) but I never ever want to watch it. Ever. I don’t think I can handle watching it on the big screen without spending the rest of the evening curled in the foetal position.

I highly recommend this book – it’s written in such a subtle, changing POV that you can really empathise with the confusion Charlie feels – but not if you’re feeling fragile.

Review: Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

June 12, 2011 | Uncategorized

From Amazon – ‘In Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher tells the true and intoxicating story of her life with inimitable wit. Born to celebrity parents, she was picked to play a princess in a little movie called Star Wars when only 19 years old. “But it isn’t all sweetness and light sabres.” Alas, aside from a demanding career and her role as a single mother (not to mention the hyperspace hairdo), Carrie also spends her free time battling addiction and weathering the wild ride of manic depression. It’s an incredible tale – from having Elizabeth Taylor as a stepmother, to marrying (and divorcing) Paul Simon, and from having the father of her daughter leave her for a man, to ultimately waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed.’

First off, I am not a celebrity autobiography reader. I’d rather be bashed on the head with a book about Katie Price than actually have to read it. However, Carrie Fisher is a whole different class of celebrity than those pop star wannabes who hash out a ‘memoir’ by the time they’ve reached the grand old age twenty-two. She’s a cult icon with genuine mental health and addiction problems. Why wouldn’t you want to read her autobiography?

The reason I don’t usually enjoy autobiographies is because I’m pretty much only interested in whatever made that person famous, as are most of the other readers. Despite this, I’ll still be subjected to a long diatribe on their childhood pet, playground experiences and relationship with their mother. Ms. Fisher’s book is nothing like that. While she does mention her mother, that mother is Debbie Reynolds and so provides anecdotes that only a beautiful, movie-star mother can. The book isn’t bogged down with names and dates à la most autobiographies either – it actually feels like Carrie Fisher herself has sat down opposite you and told you a little about herself.

Because that’s all it is – a little. Due to ECT (electric shock) therapy and the intake of a huge amount of drugs, her memory is shot. She freely admits that there are huge chunks of her life missing, but here she’s attempted to scribble down what she does remember. It’s a very short book; I read it in a few hours and it’s massively padded out with photos, but it works. It’s long enough to provide an insight into the life of Ms Fisher, but not long enough for me to get bored and wander off like many other biographies.

‘I’m a PEZ dispenser. True story. Which not only has really made my life great, but it’s enhanced the lives of everyone I run into. If you can get someone to make you into a PEZ dispenser, do it. And my daughter loves it because like I told you, she’s a teenager, and they love to humiliate the parent for sport, so all she has to do is flip my head back and pull a wafer out of my neck.’

I’d never have thought she was so funny. There were parts where I was laughing out loud from her dry sarcasm and wit. She’s very self-deprecating about her mental health issues, which she discusses in a way that implies she understands they’re serious but isn’t going to cry over it. I respect her all the more for fighting the stigma of mental illness and explaining a little of how it feels.

It’s not as Star Wars-y as you’d expect. Or as I did anyway – but I barely knew anything about her but that and a vague idea that she was an alcoholic. There are dozens of books about the films already though, so I suppose she didn’t really feel the need to rehash what’s already been said. There are a few interesting tidbits scattered around however- like it was Harrison Ford’s pot that finally tipped her over the edge and Christopher Walken was originally set to play Han Solo!

‘Anyway, during one of the takes, Mark was so intent on making his strangulation look realistic that he ended up bursting a blood vessel in his eye, which in turn left this bright red dot. So, the following day we shot our next scene – which happened to be the last scene in the movie. You know, the one where I give out all the medals? Mark had to grin like a motherfucker in that scene in order to conceal his red dot. Because, ultimately, who’s going to give a medal to someone with a big, stupid red dot in their eye? I don’t care how much force is with him.’

I can’t wait for her new book, Shockaholic, that’s coming out at the end of the year and I might give a few of her novels a go too.

Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelo

May 18, 2011 | Uncategorized

Continuing with my apparent crazy-person reading stint (see The Swan Thieves), this is the first book I yanked out of my huge library pile. But hey, apparently crazy works for me, because I adored this novel.

From Amazon – ‘Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything — youth and beauty, boyfriends and a loving family, a fulfilling job. But something is missing in her life. So, one cold November morning Veronika decides to die. She takes a handful of sleeping pills expecting never to wake up. But she does — at a mental hospital where she is told that she has only days to live.’

By the end of the second page, I was hooked and knew that I’d be going out and buying my own copy. It begins with Veronika consuming four packets of sleeping pills and musing on a magazine article she has read about Slovenia as she calmly waits to die. That particular scene is poignant, moving and chatty yet formal. The title sums up her frame of mind clearly – Veronika has decided to die. She is not manic, crazy or passionate, but has come to the logical, quiet conclusion that she does not wish to live any longer.

She regains consciousness in Villette, a mental hospital. Here she is told by Dr Igor that her drug-induced coma has damaged her heart and she only has days to live, a concept she feels no slight sense of victory in hearing. As Veronika goes through the motions of life in Villette, she slowly comes to realise that every second of existence is a choice we all make between living and dying. Unfortunately for someone in Veronika’s position, that realisation is somewhat redundant.

As I worked my way slowly through the book, I had to keep stopping and staring into space to process what I’d read. It’s so moving but also accessible at the same time. As a manic depressive myself, I really appreciated how her feelings were accurately portrayed – Veronika doesn’t come across as weak or needy, just a person with an illness receiving treatment.

Apparently there’s a film with Sarah Michelle Gellar as Veronika, so I might have to look that up in a few days. It must have been quite a difficult book to transfer to film, so I can’t wait to see how they’ve done it.

I’ve only given this four out of five stars, despite by definite intention to read and reread this book until the pages fall out. That’s only because I didn’t like the ending, well-written though it may have been. I know that that’s a fault of mine not Mr. Coelho’s, but hey… deal with it 🙂

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

May 15, 2011 | Uncategorized

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book really – I bought it almost exactly a year ago because I enjoyed Elizabeth Kostova’s previous novel, but then it got shoved to the bottom of my TBR pile and was promptly forgotten about. Because of the time lapse and the almost blank cover, I’d even forgotten what it was meant to be about.

The cover says that – ‘Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe has a perfectly ordered life. Solitary, perhaps, but full of devotion to his profession and the painting hobby he loves. This order is destroyed when renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient. Desperate to understand the secret that torments this genius, Marlowe embarks on a journey that leads him into the lives of the women closest to Oliver and a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism. Kostova’s masterful new novel travels from American cities to the coast of Normandy; from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth, from young love to last love. The Swan Thieves is a story of obsession, history’s losses, and the power of art to preserve hope.’

Now that I’ve finished the book, I think it’s actually very different from how the blurb makes it sound. I was half-expecting a Da Vinci Code-esque novel where Andrew Marlowe runs around uncovering various secrets behind paintings etc etc. The actual novel is more… well, domestic than that. He’s not getting anywhere with trying to talk to his patient and find out why he attacked a painting in the National Gallery, so he visits the two women in Robert Oliver’s life and they recount the stories of their troubled relationships with Robert.

Because it’s basically Person A talking about Person B to Person C, the consequence is that all the characters seeming a little flat, even Andrew Marlowe who the narrative follows. This isn’t through Kostova’s lack of trying as every single character is described frequently in meticulous detail; they just don’t seem to jump off the page. They’re just unrealistic. Andrew Marlowe would be the subject of restraining orders submitted by those two women if the Bookworld had any sense of justice.

The amount of detail and and effort that has been put into the novel makes it very, very long, it’s not a book you can whip through. During my first sitting, I was enthralled and sat there for hours until the real world dragged me unwillingly away. After that, however, I struggled to pick it back up again until I forced myself to sit and read and then became just as engrossed as before. So it’s not a book you can read a few pages at a time – you have to be prepared to immerse yourself in the story.

Speaking of, the story really is very good. Like her previous novel, it has an original plot that I’ve never heard anything even vaguely similar to before. As it progresses, it shows how the lives of all the characters intertwined and left Robert alone drawing portraits of an unknown woman in a psychiatric hospital. As I already admitted, I did lose interest in the characters a little, but the twists in the story kept me reading on. Although I found the ending a little rushed and the lack of explanation regarding Robert’s illness irritating, Elizabeth Kostova clearly has a gift for detailed story-telling.

Looking back, this has ended up as quite a critical review, but that was unintentional. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I will be rereading it in the future. As long as you’re prepared to put some effort in and work with it, it’s well worth a read.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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