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Original poster

any good fiction books on mental health

64 replies

NotYoMomma · 28/10/2013 15:26

Hi!

I have been really interested recently in psychology and mental health, both historically, fictionally, and in real life.

books I have found interesting are 'the interpretation of murder' - I loved reading about freud and Jung in a fictional sense

and 'the ghost road' by pat barker - I enjoyed reading about shell shock back in the day (the equivalent of ptsd?)

I loved K-Pax (the whole trilogy!) and found it utterly utterly fascinating.

does anyone have any other recommendations for me please?
x

OP posts:
RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 28/10/2013 16:34

And does Mrs Danvers in Rebecca count?

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 28/10/2013 16:34

And Jeckyll and Hyde, of course

Leopoldina · 28/10/2013 16:33

Hangover Square - Patrick Hamilton is a very bleak look into schizophrenia (when I read it I actually thought it was alcoholism and booze induced blackouts, but read around it afterwards). Bloody good novel.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 28/10/2013 16:33

Oh and just remembered One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 28/10/2013 16:32

Stephen King - Misery

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 28/10/2013 16:31

Yes to The Bell Jar. I liked the first of the Regeneration trilogy, but loathed the other two - the second was especially bad.

Frank Tallis' Max Lieberman books might interest you, although they get very samey after the first couple.

Jane Eyre for Mrs Rochester maybe?

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenedes

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (good except for the stupid ending imho)

Fight Club

The Catcher In The Rye

Hamlet!

PoisonousCentipede · 28/10/2013 16:26

Oh if you enjoyed Interpretation of Murder you might enjoy the brilliant Alienist by Caleb Carr.

leezl · 28/10/2013 16:24

The whole Regeneration trilogy is fantastic - my favourite books ever.
The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry.
Can't think on any more right now gah!

PoisonousCentipede · 28/10/2013 16:22

The Trick is to Keep Breathing - Janice Galloway

KillerKoalaFaceFromSpace · 28/10/2013 16:16

X-post Head Grin

KillerKoalaFaceFromSpace · 28/10/2013 16:15

My favourite Pat Barker book is Regeneration. It's fantastic.

Have you read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath? I enjoyed that as well.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks is fascinating but the character's mental health and the reasons for it do become quite outrageous.

headoverheels · 28/10/2013 16:14

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

InsultingBadger · 28/10/2013 16:02

The Woman Who Went To Bed For A Year - loved it!

Portlligat · 28/10/2013 15:58

How about Before I go to Sleep by SJ Watson. It's a debut novel and has reviews into the thousands on Amazon. It's a thriller and the story revolves around a woman who has suffered some sort of trauma. Every day when she wakes up she has no memory of where she is, doesn't recognise her husband and doesn't understand why she seems to have aged 15 years.

Apparently this is a possible, though rare, condition and the book seems well researched, though I'm no expert. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am drumming my fingers awaiting SJ's next offering.

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