About me
Bookshop

Get new posts by email.

About me

I’ve been reading ‘The Octopus Man’ by Jasper Gibson

This 2021 novel by Jasper Gibson has been on my “to read” list since publication. I have been nervous to start it because I thought I would have a strong reaction to it, one way or another. And I was right: I thought it was brilliant.

The novel is a first-person account of living with schizophrenia, set in present day leafy East Sussex. Our narrator, Tom, has a first-class degree in law, and also hears the distinctive voice of the “Octopus God,” Malamock. Malamock also has the power to cause Tom to feel sensations, sometimes painful and sometimes pleasurable.

The central portion of the novel concerns Tom’s admission to a mental health ward. A doctor attempts to recruit him to a drug trial, possibly convincing or possibly coercing him to take part. There is a lot to reflect on the challenges of consenting to research, and also the complex decisions psychiatric patients must make about their treatments. Not everyone wants the voices to go away.

And what are the side effects? I don’t want any more side effects. They’re not usually on the side, are they? More in the middle. Slap bang.

There was also quite a bit in this novel about the fine line between religion and mental illness—always fertile ground—as well as reflecting the paucity of social and financial support for those with psychiatric illnesses.

Doubt is an article of faith and not its opposite.

I had expected this to be a fairly reflective novel, ruminating on mental illness—but actually, it is plot-driven with lively writing and plenty of humour. It was much the better for this.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, and Tom and Malamock will live long in my memory.


Thanks to Newcastle University Library for lending me a copy.

This post was filed under: Health, Post-a-day 2023, What I've Been Reading, .

Recently published posts

Winifred Carney / 05 November 2024

Sincere and true / 04 November 2024

Tick tock, McKee Clock / 03 November 2024

Apostrophe / 02 November 2024

The bells, the bells / 01 November 2024

Happy Hallowe’en / 31 October 2024




Random posts from the archive





The content of this site is copyright protected by a Creative Commons License, with some rights reserved. All trademarks, images and logos remain the property of their respective owners. The accuracy of information on this site is in no way guaranteed. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author. No responsibility can be accepted for any loss or damage caused by reliance on the information provided by this site. Information about cookies and the handling of emails submitted for the 'new posts by email' service can be found in the privacy policy. This site uses affiliate links: if you buy something via a link on this site, I might get a small percentage in commission. Here's hoping.