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meemo444's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
Unique format, beautiful writing
schnauzermum's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first book by Graeme Macrae Burnet that I have read. It cleverly combines a biographical account by ‘GMB’ of Collins Braithwaite, a 1960s ‘anti-psychiatrist’, with the account of a woman who believes her sister killed herself after a number of sessions with him. At times, provocative, shocking and funny.
lola113's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
mikarala's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is a very fascinating, compulsive read that leaves you wanting answers that you never get. It's purposefully abstruse and leave's many things up to the reader's interpretation, which makes it both fun and somewhat frustrating to read. I found the characters compelling and bewildering, and the prose was really engaging while also being extremely refined and intellectual. I got the impression that the author loves reading and examining the human condition.
There's something that left me wanting a bit more, hense the .5 star deduction, but I truly enjoyed this novel.
There's something that left me wanting a bit more, hense the .5 star deduction, but I truly enjoyed this novel.
moon_daisy's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
For me this is a 3.5 stars but I have rounded it up here. I was a big fan of His Bloody Project and its pseudo-historical style and love the concept of "discovered notebooks". So this was a really interesting premise.
Here's what I liked:
The way that it incorporates psychology history, like the the anti-psychiatry movement, which is interesting to me as a psychology student.
The main character and the way they were characterised. They felt distinctive as a voice throughout their sections.
The "unreliable narrator" mystery.
And here's what I wasn't so sure about:
I would have liked a little more clarity, despite liking the mystery overall. A little more to work with?
Leading on from that, I felt it ended a little too soon, abruptly even.
I wanted to spend more time on the "hook" of the story but didn't feel like there was enough dedicated to it (or a resolution reached).
Thinking about it, all of these points are about wanting more out of what we already have.
Overall a solid read, especially if you are interested in psychology, but don't expect all of the answers or it to be "satisfying".
Here's what I liked:
The way that it incorporates psychology history, like the the anti-psychiatry movement, which is interesting to me as a psychology student.
The main character and the way they were characterised. They felt distinctive as a voice throughout their sections.
The "unreliable narrator" mystery.
And here's what I wasn't so sure about:
I would have liked a little more clarity, despite liking the mystery overall. A little more to work with?
Leading on from that, I felt it ended a little too soon, abruptly even.
I wanted to spend more time on the "hook" of the story but didn't feel like there was enough dedicated to it (or a resolution reached).
Thinking about it, all of these points are about wanting more out of what we already have.
Overall a solid read, especially if you are interested in psychology, but don't expect all of the answers or it to be "satisfying".
danon17's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
josmrrs's review against another edition
3.0
I felt the concept was better than the reality of what the book was. Got somewhat interesting in the last 20 pages, but I felt there was a lot of unnecessary information that could have been replaced by something more investigative, thrilling. Loved the 60s London feel. Wouldn’t read again.
gabbygabbygabby's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
baguettekelly's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
3.0
I do see the vision with the format and I liked the meditation on the many selves one person can have, but much of this book was neither plot nor vibes
whatcourtneyreads's review against another edition
3.0
In Case Study, the author (GMB) receives a package containing the journals of an anonymous woman written in the 1960s. The woman had become convinced that her sister Veronica suicided after being coerced by her psychotherapist, Collins Braithwaite. Armed with a pseudonym, ‘Rebecca Smyth’, she starts seeing Braithwaite as a patient, determined to expose him for the charlatan that he is. For us as the reader, this meta storyline unfolds against research the author has done on Braithwaite himself.
I found this very readable, but that’s not to say I found it overly enjoyable. I’m certainly confused as to what I was supposed to “get” from it. Something about identity and the Self and different personas that we all contain, I guess.
I felt like this book built tension as though it was going to be a thriller and then just fizzled out towards the end. There are no real answers to be found in the ambiguous ending, which felt quite anticlimactic and a bit confusing (please DM me, I need answers).
The R word is also used twice. I know that it’s set in 1965 and really, people didn’t stop using that word until quite recently, but the book would have been the same had this word been omitted. Mental health is also handled quite poorly just generally, I felt.
I know this review reads as though I hated it. I didn’t, but in the end this was just “fine” and I probably wouldn’t read any of this author’s other books if I’m being honest. I found the concept of this story and the structure really interesting, but it just didn’t pack the punch I was hoping for.
I found this very readable, but that’s not to say I found it overly enjoyable. I’m certainly confused as to what I was supposed to “get” from it. Something about identity and the Self and different personas that we all contain, I guess.
I felt like this book built tension as though it was going to be a thriller and then just fizzled out towards the end. There are no real answers to be found in the ambiguous ending, which felt quite anticlimactic and a bit confusing (please DM me, I need answers).
The R word is also used twice. I know that it’s set in 1965 and really, people didn’t stop using that word until quite recently, but the book would have been the same had this word been omitted. Mental health is also handled quite poorly just generally, I felt.
I know this review reads as though I hated it. I didn’t, but in the end this was just “fine” and I probably wouldn’t read any of this author’s other books if I’m being honest. I found the concept of this story and the structure really interesting, but it just didn’t pack the punch I was hoping for.