184:
part of this harrowing tale, poor, silent, catatonic Peter is hauled out to an experimental treatment center and made to remember his early life." She concludes "There are physicians (I'm sorry to say this but I've met some) who delight in inflicting psychic and physical pain, who treat each illness as if it were a wild animal to be tracked down, tortured and destroyed. It is the patient who is the real victim. It's of this nightmare world that Sayer writes. His prose soars, his message is searing in its implications."
183:
highlights the books realism but goes on praise Paul Sayer's imagination as he "creates the inner life of the narrator. Peter, who has been in a catatonic trance for as long as anyone can remember. It is Peter's greatest wish to be left alone: he has never spoken and never will. During the middle
27:
146:
In an interview Sayer explains that this was the third novel he had actually written, but, like his earlier efforts, would in all likelihood have gone unpublished had it not won the
Constable Trophy, an award given by Yorkshire Arts for 'the best unpublished novel in the North of England'. "I've
137:
for both Best First Novel, and Book of the Year. Written while the author was working as a psychiatric nurse in
Clifton Hospital in York, and drawing on his own experiences it is a first-person account of a speechless, catatonic patient in a hospital therapy unit.
165:. " I was already more than satisfied with the book's critical reception and the Whitbread First Novel award, and on the night the overall prize was awarded I was certain I was only there to make up the numbers."
245:
242:
226:
155:
After winning the
Whitbread First Novel Award, Sayer was not expecting to win the actual book of the year, where it was up against the hot favourite,
324:
147:
always thought it highly unlikely that any agent or editor would ever have taken it on, owing to its shortness and dark nature."
329:
301:
112:
264:
223:
334:
276:
134:
319:
8:
243:'I was getting rejections by the pile ... no one wanted me much' (From York Press)
192:
161:
66:
297:
179:
107:
187:
249:
230:
206: ... "wild, extreme and slightly unbelievable, yet it rings absolutely true"
202:
156:
313:
197:
174:
126:
130:
40:
26:
277:
BOOK REVIEW : When Sanity Proves to Be
Unbearable,
311:
265:Pulp Pusher: PUSHED FOR ANSWERS: Paul Sayer
25:
296:by Paul Sayer, 1st ed, publ. Bloomsbury
312:
260:
258:
325:Novels set in psychiatric hospitals
255:
13:
14:
346:
286:
270:
236:
224:past_winners_complete_list.pdf
217:
141:
16:1988 debut novel of Paul Sayer
1:
210:
168:
7:
10:
351:
330:Constable & Co. books
150:
106:
98:
90:
82:
72:
62:
54:
46:
36:
24:
20:The Comforts of Madness
122:The Comforts of Madness
267:Retrieved 2013-07-28.
252:Retrieved 2013-01-06.
233:Retrieved 2013-01-06.
283:Retrieved 2013-07-28
196:likens the novel to
135:1988 Whitbread Award
67:Constable & Co.
21:
281:, January 08, 1990
248:2010-05-07 at the
229:2012-10-28 at the
193:The New York Times
162:The Satanic Verses
129:of English author
19:
335:1988 debut novels
279:Los Angeles Times
180:Los Angeles Times
118:
117:
83:Publication place
47:Cover artist
342:
304:
290:
284:
274:
268:
262:
253:
240:
234:
221:
188:Jane Vandenburgh
74:Publication date
29:
22:
18:
350:
349:
345:
344:
343:
341:
340:
339:
310:
309:
308:
307:
291:
287:
275:
271:
263:
256:
250:Wayback Machine
241:
237:
231:Wayback Machine
222:
218:
213:
203:A Hunger Artist
177:writing in the
171:
153:
144:
91:Media type
75:
32:
17:
12:
11:
5:
348:
338:
337:
332:
327:
322:
306:
305:
285:
269:
254:
235:
215:
214:
212:
209:
208:
207:
185:
170:
167:
157:Salman Rushdie
152:
149:
143:
140:
116:
115:
110:
104:
103:
100:
96:
95:
92:
88:
87:
86:United Kingdom
84:
80:
79:
76:
73:
70:
69:
64:
60:
59:
56:
52:
51:
50:Michael Osborn
48:
44:
43:
38:
34:
33:
30:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
347:
336:
333:
331:
328:
326:
323:
321:
318:
317:
315:
303:
302:0-7475-2801-2
299:
295:
294:The God Child
292:cover notes,
289:
282:
280:
273:
266:
261:
259:
251:
247:
244:
239:
232:
228:
225:
220:
216:
205:
204:
199:
195:
194:
189:
186:
182:
181:
176:
173:
172:
166:
164:
163:
158:
148:
139:
136:
133:. It won the
132:
128:
124:
123:
114:
113:0-09-468480-4
111:
109:
105:
101:
97:
93:
89:
85:
81:
77:
71:
68:
65:
61:
57:
53:
49:
45:
42:
39:
35:
31:First edition
28:
23:
293:
288:
278:
272:
238:
219:
201:
191:
178:
160:
154:
145:
125:is the 1988
121:
120:
119:
320:1988 novels
198:Franz Kafka
175:Carolyn See
142:Publication
127:debut novel
78:4 July 1988
314:Categories
211:References
131:Paul Sayer
41:Paul Sayer
169:Reception
63:Publisher
246:Archived
227:Archived
55:Language
58:English
300:
151:Awards
37:Author
99:Pages
94:Print
298:ISBN
108:ISBN
200:'s
190:in
159:'s
102:128
316::
257:^
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
