Product Description

When a part-time worker in a mental hospital meets his old girlfriend inside he is not sure at first is she is a patient. Their reunion is haunted and haunting, and from the memory of their past affair there unfolds a labyrinth which darkens from romantic obsession to feelings deeper and more disturbing. Colin Thubron creates a world of passion, delusion, and reality mingling with unreality, the all-enveloping sense of longing and of loss.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #564649 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Nina Bawden, Daily Telegraph
'As compelling as a thriller-Mr Thubron has hit that most disturbing target, the target of imaginative truth'

About the Author
Colin Thubron was born in London in 1939. He left publishing to travel - mainly in Asia and North Africa, where he made documentary films which were shown on BBC and world television. Afterwards, he returned to the Middle East, and wrote five books on the Area. In 1984, the Book Marketing Council nominated him one of the twenty best contemporary writers on travel.

Customer Reviews

fantastic mental drama
A cruel madness is about a man who is a voluntary Enlgish teacher in a mental asylum. He spots his old lover, and tries to attempt to find out whether she is a patient or not.

This book has a few twists to keep the reader attentive and reminded me a lot of ken kesey's, "one flew over the cuckoo's nest." And i don't just say that because it was also about a mental asylum.

Definitely worth checking out. I found it a great read and loved the twists. The only negative side for me is the love story side of the book, but generally it introduced those as small chapters, and obviously plays a big part in the storyline.

Thought provoking read
I thought this was an disturbing depiction of the agony and torment of being 'madly in love'.
Beautifully written with excellent observations - I was completely in this man's head - thankfully only for the duration of the read.
My only disappointment was a detail that was pointed out in the middle of the story, which didn't need to be told - it had already been cleverly shown.
This story has the ingredients for some excellent discussions.