I so wanted to like this book, from the blurb on the back it sounded interesting. I just didn't get it - I didn't like the way it was written, I didn't find it particularly amusing, in fact I thought it was sad. I know it was supposed to be a parody, but I do think there is probably more than a grain of truth in the story, and that what happened to Poppy and N could actually happen to some extent within the British Mental Health system.

I struggled to keep my attention on the book whilst reading it, and found myself easily distracted, which to me is always a sign that I'm not really getting into something! ( )

An enjoyable send up of mental health institutions, bureaucracy generally, and government. The narrator, N, is a patient or "client" of a day mental health hospital -- she spends her days there, but lives in her own apartment. The story she tells is of a new patient named Poppy Shakespeare who arrives in the hospital insisting that nothing is wrong and that she's being unfairly forced into treatment. The narrative style is somewhat stream-of-consciousness (and a "mentally ill" consciousness at that), but it manages to work reasonably well most of the time. N is a classic unreliable narrator -- it's clear from the beginning that the reader is going to need to figure out the "facts" through the lens of a somewhat twisted and self-centered narrator. Those offended by curse words should avoid this book as the f-bomb is dropped repeatedly. Overall, the author manages to do a good job of expressing the frustration with the system experienced by its patients and the stupidity of certain programs. ( )

This story is set in a North London psychiatric hospital and is narrated by N who has been a day patient for thirteen years and whose main objective is to remain a patient. Poppy Shakespeare arrives one day insistent that she shouldn't be there. N who has been asked to show her round agrees to help her. It took me a long time to settle into this book. I didn't like the writing style and N's strange use of language is a bit irritating. However, by the end, I found that I was really quite moved and disturbed by it and the issues it throws up remained in my thoughts long after I finished the book. ( )

4 5 ( )

You have to be able to read some badly written dialogue to get through this book. Was 'N' meant to speak like that or is it the author's awful writing style - I wasn't sure. It did make for a difficult read so be fully prepared for this.

Anyway I trudged through this book and it was a trudge because nothing was interesting. It was okay because it was good to see a patient's perspective as a service user. Having not read 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' I'm unable to comment on the comparisons. The characters are difficult to get a feel for. I did enjoy reading about the hospital and her thoughts on the doctors; likewise her description of the other patients is funny and who knows but maybe they are accurate. It was the description of the two main characters that was lacking.

I was bitterly disappointed as I'd been so looking forward to reading this. But sadly I won't be picking up anything else she writes. It could've been cut down quite a bit. The premis for the novel is fabulous and like I say, I'd been eagerly awaiting the reading of this. Sadly it wasn't one for me. ( )

Creepy yet hilarious story set in a mental institution. The narrator, N, has been in and out of institutions all her life, and intends to stay that way. Poppy is new, and insists there's nothing wrong with her. It gets pretty dark towards the end. ( )

Does institutionalisation make you mad? Can anyone be really cured after years in a care facility? How many are working the system to stay rather than face the outside world? Are people getting enough of the right treatment? These are just some of the issues surrounding mental health that Allan addresses in her first novel having seen life from the inside herself apparently.
Written from the viewpoint of one of the saner day patients 'N' who, at the start of the novel, has learnt to work the system, but still couldn't survive totally outside it. When a new patient Poppy arrives, who doesn't seem very mad, N is assigned to be her guide, and gradually everything changes ...
Billed as a North London 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest', that's doing this book a disservice; it's very different. There are digs at the politicians too, especially over the provision of 'Mad Money' - an issue that tends to overtake the human plot at times.
An uneasy read - you wonder if there was much poetic licence taken; or is this a true reflection on life in such an institution ... ( )

Whilst certainly interesting to see Mental Health services from a service user's POV I did find that after a while the character of Poppy began to grate on me and made me take my focus off of the story. I can't help feeling that perhaps Allan was trying just a little bit *too* hard. Having said that the whole thing surrounding the issuing of 'mad money' (presumably DLA) had the surreal tinge of real life about it; 'you have 'x' days to appeal against your appeal' etc. etc. Interesting book nevertheless although not sure about the ending. I guess in the end it's all a matter of perception... ( )