Blog tour: In Judgement of Others by Eleanor Anstruther
This post is part of a blog tour organised by Random Things Blog Tours. I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
‘The Midhurst Amateur Dramatic Society are putting on a production of Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit, and Tessa has agreed to play a part. But when she suffers a psychotic episode, Ros, a C-list celebrity and new to the community, takes her place.
‘In this darkly comic tale of psychosis in the Home Counties, the stage is set for a blistering examination of mental illness, how we treat it and why we don’t. While Tessa is sectioned in a secure psychiatric hospital, the relationships in the community unravel, and by the time she’s released, all that we thought we knew, and all of our judgements, are thrown into question.
‘Dim the lights, turn off your phones, settle in as the curtain rises…’
In Eleanor Anstruther’s In Judgement of Others, we meet middle-aged mother-of-one Tessa as she’s having a manic episode. Subsequently sequestered in a psychiatric hospital, she’s no longer available to play the part of Elvira in the Midhurst Amateur Dramatic Society’s upcoming production of Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit.
Ros, a glamorous new arrival in the area who’s had a small degree of success on TV and the London stage, replaces her in the role, with Tessa’s husband Scott playing opposite. As the play comes together, though, it becomes increasingly apparent that Ros isn’t as sincere as she seems, and could probably use some psychiatric help herself.
I found In Judgement of Others an enjoyable read with a satisfyingly dark bite to it. Many of the unhospitalised characters are entertainingly unpleasant, due to both individual characteristics and their smug middle class-ness as a whole.
Tessa is the most sympathetic of Midhurst characters, partly because she has really suffered (we get insights into her earlier experiences, as well as what’s going through her head as she has her episode and is sectioned), but also because – being outside of her habitual setting and in a bad state mentally – she is less concerned with how she comes across, and is therefore more honest and genuine than her peers.
As suggested above, Ros, in contrast, particularly embodies the obsession with appearances that haunts Tessa’s social circle. Without giving too much away, she’s highly self-centred, deceives others and deludes herself, and has a mean streak a mile wide. However, because she’s beautiful and charismatic, people are attracted to her, and are oblivious to her manipulation of them.
Ros’ natural privileges, unconditionally supportive family of origin, and the way her issues manifest mean she’s highly unlikely to attract the attention of the mental health service and be bundled away like poor Tessa. This is even though, arguably, Ros’ actions have longer-lasting, even devastating effects on the people around her.
Ros’ sole concession to her mental health is a regular visit to an analyst in London, which seems more like an excuse to talk about herself for an hour than anything else. Then again, the talk therapy Tessa receives on the ward appears quite limited, with the real purpose of her section seeming to be getting her settled on the right drugs in a controlled location, where she won’t inconvenience or perturb the general public.
The author’s use of an amateur dramatic production to pull the story together is very inspired. Even though I was unfamiliar with Blithe Spirit, I found it easy to pick up the basic premise from In Judgement of Others, and felt motivated to read up on it and identify parallels between the play and the story.
It was also interesting to see how the company went about staging the play, with enthusiastic amateur director Brian (whom nobody really likes) at the helm. The rehearsals are a notable source of humour in the story.
Furthermore, when one of Tessa’s fellow inpatients finds a copy of the script in the rubbish, it sparks a bit of chat about what the play’s about and its history, and a pair (who just happen to be called Derek and Clive, and often amusing) entertain themselves for a bit by giving out parts to their wardmates and directing them to act out a couple of the scenes themselves.
This gives us the opportunity to learn about some of the other characters on the ward, and reminds us that their being sectioned is only one part of their lives – they’re capable people with individual strengths and passions, who just happen to be laid low by something beyond their control for a period of time. What’s more, they’re at the mercy of an overstretched system that’s forced by necessity to take a cookie-cutter approach to a range of severe mental health difficulties.
In Judgement of Others is entertaining and thought-provoking.