Description
Faces in the Water is a powerful and poignant novel written by Janet Frame, based on her own experiences in mental institutions. The protagonist, Istina Mavet, navigates through the desolate wards with the constant threat of leucotomy looming. The novel has been translated into nine languages and has been praised as a masterpiece by Anita Brookner and an extraordinary work by Doris Lessing. It has also been used as a medical school text.
I was now an established citizen with little hope of returning across the frontier; I was in the crazy world, separated now by more than locked doors and barred windows from the people who called themselves sane.' When Janet Frame's doctor suggested that she write about her traumatic experiences in mental institutions in order to free herself from them, the result was Faces in the Water, a powerful and poignant novel. Istina Mavet descends through increasingly desolate wards, with the threat of leucotomy ever present. As she observes her fellow patients, long dismissed by hospital staff, with humour and compassion, she reveals her original and questing mind. This riveting novel became an international classic, translated into nine languages, and has also been used as a medical school text.
Review:
One of the most impressive accounts of madness to be found in literature ... A masterpiece Anita Brookner What an extraordinary woman she is, overcoming such obstacles, and making fresh and good use of them in her work Doris Lessing Lyrical, touching and deeply entertaining John Mortimer, Observer
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