It is 1859 when Anna Palmer is cruelly
incarcerated against her will by her husband Vincent in a Victorian asylum near
London named Lake House. This private asylum houses genteel women supposedly
needing a rest and a cure, those who have delicate sensibilities. Having
realised what has happened to her, and what Lake House actually is, Anna
immediately sets about trying to prove there is nothing wrong with her and that
she doesn’t belong there and should be allowed to leave immediately. She
appeals unsuccessfully to her uncaring husband to let her return home.
Lucas St Clair is a physician working at the
asylum, employing the very new medium of photography in his work with the
patients, believing that it may perhaps be used to shed light on the health of
their minds.
Anna is subject to cruel treatments in the
asylum that were common in those days, supposedly in the name of a cure.
Initially she wants little to do with the other residents, but slowly she lets
her guard down and finds more in common with some of them than she first
expected. Alongside some companionship with the owner’s daughter, and her
meetings with Lucas St Clair, they are of course the only people who can help
reduce her feelings of isolation and from whom she can gain strength and
solidarity.
I was gripped by the storyline right from the
start. I felt sad at the helpless situation Anna found herself in, and angry at
the ease with which she was locked away there by her husband. The author
highlights the cruelties and injustices of the system and of society prevalent
in those times, leaving women with little or no say in their own destiny, and
locked away for feeling low or anxious, or just not behaving as expected. The
writer caused me to care about Anna and share her feeling of being trapped, and
I was willing her to find an escape somehow.
I loved the author’s use of language, and the
names she created for some of the characters at Lake House struck me as
perfect.
There is beautiful and convincing period detail
throughout this intelligent, perceptive historical novel, and the author has
evidently researched her topics well, but is never heavy handed with the
details. I found it particularly interesting to read about this early use of
photography, the processes involved, and this theory that it may enlighten a
doctor as to the mental health of patients. Will Anna be able to prove her
sanity? What is the truth about her past, and her husband? The lines between
truth, reality and fact become blurred until we are unsure quite what to
believe at times.
The hardback edition of this novel has
beautiful endpapers which complement it very well.
This is a fascinating, emotional and compelling
debut novel with engaging characters and a strong storyline throughout. This is
a book that I would definitely read a second time. I am really looking forward
to reading the next novel by this author.
Published by Simon & Schuster
You can follow the author on twitter @slangular and visit her website here.
Thank you very much to the publisher for the opportunity to meet this author at their book bloggers event recently. Thank you very much to Wendy for being so friendly and happy to discuss her book and her work.
