The Other Side of You

“After so devastating a disappointment it would make sense to turn to a Neil”

I read one of Vickers’ previous novels in my pre-blogging days, Miss Garnet’s Angel, and remember that it was mostly about a painting of Tobit or Tobias or Toblerone or some such personage. I did remember enjoying it though. And thus I seemed to be stepping into very familiar territory with The Other Side of You, which has a simple enough narrative structure – a few days in the life of psychologist and analyst Davey McBride, in which he treats some patients and interacts with colleagues and tries to figure out why his wife is being a bit strange.

One patient proves particularly challenging, a suicide outside the normal mood of desperation and cries for show more help; rather a woman who had no wish to continue living. Our protagonist feels a deep affinity with Mrs Cruikshank, but she takes a frustratingly long time to open up to him. What she does yield is a passion for Caravaggio, one shared by the doctor’s mentor. And this is where Vickers shines – her narrative is a pleasant enough construct for an emotional response to a series of Caravaggio’s artworks; Dr McBride returns to the National Gallery at one point and falls in love with Caravaggio’s The Last Supper.

The novel is religious without being proselytising – Vickers engrosses us in the culture of faith, not the practice. McBride makes numerous references to the men on the road to Emmaus, a story I’ve never understood well (what is its point? That Jesus chose to reveal Himself resurrected away from the crowd? That He wanted to test their loyalty first?) and delves into the tragedy of the men who have just lost their friend and leader, rather than the joy of reunion.

*minor spoiler alert* I’m so bored with infidelity. It seems to be in every book. It’s always the slightly controversial story on the side. That’s all I’m going to say here – Vickers takes the adultery storyline quite a lot further than most, with it being the focus of both Elizabeth and Olivia’s stories. Is there no other source of drama in adult interaction? *end spoilers*

Clever writing, fascinating characters and a bridge into the art world. I want to take the book with me back to all those Roman churches The Book Accumulator dragged me around when I was 14. show less

For psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Dr. David McBride, death exerts an unusual draw. Despite his profession, he has never come to terms with the violent accident that took his brother's life, a trauma that has shaped his personality and subsequent choice of career. But when a failed suicide, Elizabeth Cruikshank, comes into his care, he finds the deepest reaches of his suppressed history being reactivated. Elizabeth is mysteriously reticent about her own past, and it is not until David recalls a painting by the Italian artist, Caravaggio, that she finally yields her story.
Epigrath from T. S. Eliot
Who is the third who walks always beside you?
When I count, there are only you and I together
But when I look ahead up the white road
There is show more always another one walking beside you.
....
-But who is that on the other side of you? from The Waste Land show less

David McBride is a psychiatrist. He appears to be a patient doctor and good at his job. His new patient Elizabeth sits in his room and says little. David has a lively and fun friend, Gus, and he introduces David to Caravaggio and this turns out to be his way in to reach Elizabeth. We also meet David's wife and Bar, who he had a previous relationship with and has now married his best friend. The novel moves from the claustrophobic consulting room and Gus' shabby room to the extensive beauty of Rome. Elizabeth's story resonates with David and his life changes. A good read.

I absolutely loved this. I'm not really that interested in art but it was such a fascinating story, and so well written. As soon as I finished it I was so tempted to flip back to the first page and start it all over again, which is pretty rare for me. Deeply moving and engrossing.

I found this book a little tedious in parts, but never for too long to spoil my enjoyment of it. It's a multi-layered story of lost love, redemption and repentance. We hear the story through the voice of the main character David, who is a psychiatrist. As he begins to learn the reasons for his patient’s suicide attempt, he begins to feel that the 'other side' of her has a special meaning for him.
I particularly empathised with David on hearing that he took solace in his love of reading - as do all bibliophiles sometimes.

I think that art lovers and anyone who enjoyed Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring would enjoy this book.

My first forage into the world of this author. I was attracted to this because of the similar setting to Patrick's McGrath's Asylum (which I adored.) This is a much different book though - much gentler, possibly more realistic, and full of psychological insight. Interesting how the psychologist's life is sometimes as chaotic as that of his patients!

Beautifully written, the novel deals with grief, love, and art, specifically Caravaggio whose paintings form a backdrop to this tale told of a psychiatrist and his patient.