7. Girl Interrupted - Susannah Kaysen
A memoir by author Susannah Kaysen about her time spent in McLean Psychiatric Hospital - a spell that lasted for nearly two years in the late 1960s. It is a non linear narrative and was adapted for the Big screen in 1999 with Angelina Jolie winning an Oscar or her portrayal of sociopath Lisa. A young Susannah is admitted to the hospital after an overdose. She is diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. The book is peppered with her observations and insights into mental illness and the treatment of psychopathology. But really, the most interesting thing about the book are the characters she meets in the hospital. Lisa Rowe is a diagnosed sociopath, and she is very proud of this. She frequently absconds from the ward, but is always caught and brought back in a day or two. She likes to make trouble for the staff and will bring a deluge of scorn on any patient who displeases her. Therefore, she is rather feared. Polly Clark is a schizophrenic who set herself on fire. She is badly disfigured but respected among the girls due to the sheer hardcore act of setting herself on fire. It isn't until she has been at McLean for over a year that she stumbles upon the ramifications of her self immolation and she is left desolate. Georgina Tuskin has schizophrenia and tells Susannah that she is a compulsive liar. The two become good friends and are considered the most healthy patients on the ward. Daisy Randone is probably the most intriguing patient. She arrives at McLean every autumn and stays throughout Christmas. She is addicted to laxatives and only eats chicken in her room. When she has 14 chicken carcasses she leaves McLean. Only Lisa Rowe is allowed into her room which is a sign of respect for Lisa. A hostile loner, Daisy rebuffs social advances and stays mainly in her room. It is intimated that her father has incestuous feelings towards her. She kills herself on her birthday. Anyone expecting a book which is similar to the movie will be sorely disappointed. The book is very different indeed and lacks the dramatic impetus of the film. It is still an interesting read though - because of the quirky characters Susannah Kaysen describes. McLean was a very exclusive Psychiatric Hospital (former patients include Sylvia Plath) and I'm sure that it was a more genteel hospital than your bog standard psychiatric ward that you would find today. The book raises several issues about the mentally ill and society's treatment of its most vulnerable patients. In this sense, it is a lot deeper than the film and there is much more food for thought in the book.