Product Description

Winner of the 1988 Whitbread Award, "The Comforts of Madness" is narrated by a catatonic who never speaks. To the rest of the world he is an inert body and is subjected to a variety of experiments, but his own consciousness is vital and reflective.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #368292 in Books
• Published on: 1989-07-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Customer Reviews

Strange disturbing but worth reading
This is a bleak novel recounting the tale of Peter, a young man in a catatonic state. At times it is humourous, but you feel you are reading a satire or, even harsher, an indictment. But of what ? The failure of Social Services to care for a boy in an abusive household who is not able to speak ? Mental health services ? Whilst the treatment is often brusque and uncaring, with Peter perceived as an opportunity for the Director of the new fangled institute to make his name, generally they seem to be doing the best for him. Finally they "experiment" with euthanasia, but in the circumstances one can but feel that it a justification of assisted death. He has nothing to live for, is in physical pain and deteriorating and has been rejected by his sister. If this was a novel written in the former Soviet Union this could be read as an allegory for the citizen under Communism. In the west you are left wondering where the target lies. Notwithstanding this it is a fine piece of writing.

A dark, descriptive novel
The Comforts of Madness is a strange, dark novel. Told from the perspective of a catatonic Peter, we follow his circular journey from a mental hospital through the One World Intensive Rehabilitation Centre and back to the hopital where he has spent the majority of his existence. Throughout his barbaric 'rehabilitation', Peter is comforted by the fact that he will ultimately be left alone to reside within his own head for he knows he has no power to resist whatever the staff or patients wish to do to him.

This novel draws attention to the fact that we can never really be sure what is going on in the minds or imaginations of people who are unable to express themselves. The reader feels helpless to stand up for the injustices Peter is subjected to. Ultimately, this novel is a good example of descriptive prose that highlights the alienation of the characters from the so-called normal life. However, it is a very dark and quite traumatic read.