We are introduced to William when police and psychiatrists are called to his Aunt Louisa’s house as clothes are thrown out of the house. It soon becomes clear that whilst this may be an unusual occurrence, it is not the only unusual thing about the household. William has not left the house for many years, for reasons which are only revealed much later in the book, but under the care of the staff at Westbury Park, he begins to confront his past.
Meanwhile, Helen, caught in an affair with her colleague, has a crisis in her own life. Through helping William to rediscover his story, she begins to take control of her own and realise that she wants and deserves more than what she has. Matters are complicated further with the admittance of another patient to Westbury Park and ultimately, everything comes to a boiling head.
Although not a page-turner in the traditional sense of the description, I was engaged with the characters and hooked on the plot almost from page one. The book explores developments in psychiatry and understanding of mental health and although it sticks very much to the treatments and attitudes of the time, there is one moment of 21st-century-style enlightenment from one character, which is so strikingly at odds with my perception of attitudes at the time, that I rejoiced in it.
I’ve loved all of Clare Chambers’ books so far and this was no exception. She gives her readers a fascinating insight into the workings of human relationships - what draws people together and what pushes them apart - and even when her characters do things of which we may not approve, they are so beautifully written that we cannot help but empathise with them.
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