| Trying to prove that you’re insane is a lot more difficult than it sounds. Just ask Poppy, a chain-smoking, stiletto-heeled single mom who’s recently found herself at the Dorothy Fish, a hospital in north London.
She insists that she’s not mad – and many, including perennial patient N – believe her. But she had to get there somehow, and in order to get the MAD money she needs to take care of her daughter, needs a diagnosis saying she’s mentally ill.
It sounds ridiculous and it is – Clare Allan’s debut novel, Poppy Shakespeare (Bond Street, 352 pp.), is obvious satire, albeit of the highest, most hilarious order. But, knowing Allan’s own history, one wonders how far removed from the truth it all is.
Allan has suffered from mental illness for years now, with episodes of varying severity. She’s spent time in London hospitals and the system for over 10 years, experiencing the same bureaucratic minutiae and grotesqueries as her characters.
During one stay in the hospital, a doctor considered the fact that she calls herself a writer, part of her diagnosis (this despite the fact that she’d already been published in various newspapers). Her family was told to lower their expectations. A writing group was started, but she wasn’t allowed to take part. "That place was truly terrible," says Allan. "The staff was grossly inadequate – if you feel powerless outside, you’ll seek to gain it on the inside."
Still, Allan points out that it’s important to remember that this isn’t a memoir. "It’s so obviously a satire," she says. "But I did worry about being put into a niche. It’s inevitable that people will ask about my experiences, and I don’t have a problem with that. It’s a topic that should be discussed."
The Dorothy Fish hospital of the novel may be a much more cannibalistic and carnival-styled place than its real-life counterparts, but the amassed confusion and medical doublespeak reflect real problems with the mental health system.
"It’s going nowhere," says Allan. "There’s the distinction made that people are there because they want to be, when they’re really there because they can’t cope without it. When they liberated the concentration camps, some of the older prisoners wouldn’t leave. In my mind, such a situation becomes normality. The hospital becomes that, too. It’s astonishing – even if it’s utterly abnormal, it’s how you cope with things. The world they’re living in isn’t really therapeutic."
She also sees much of the problem stemming from stereotypes. "It’s not fashionable to talk about it," says Allan. "The system needs a huge amount of money and needs to make treatment individual. Staff need better training, pay and support. It’s like they’re dealing with the dregs of the people – they all wish they weren’t there."
Allan herself found salvation with a social worker she met more than 10 years ago and still talks to every week. And, of course, from her dog, too – "a positive relationship that came at a time when I couldn’t relate to people," she says.
"It’s damaging when someone is defined by their diagnosis. Mental illness very obviously exists – there are both dedicated caregivers and high rates of suicide. I use these words, too, but they’re just an opinion."
Despite how truly comedic the novel is, Allan says opinions vary about how bleak it is. "They’re very interested in wondering if Poppy’s mad or not, but I don’t see that line through the book," she says. "The hospital and society creates that, perpetuating the image that someone would think they’re constantly delusional. They impose their humour on these issues, when there’s humour already there."
From her own experiences, Allan doesn’t afford any credence to the oft-believed connection between art and madness. "That’s just bollocks. If I’m feeling unstable, I’ll produce nothing. There’s some who do, like Sylvia Plath, but she’s dead – her illness killed her."
Right now, Allan’s working on a collection of short stories, and Poppy has been laid to rest. "Mental illness is everywhere," she says. "It’s not like I want to shut the door on it, but I don’t want to be pigeonholed. If I was categorized, it’d be a great irony, that."
On Wednesday, May 31 at 7 p.m. at Annie’s Book Company, the Writers Guild of Alberta, in conjunction with the Alexandra Writers Centre Society, present readings from a few local favourites, including Marty Chan, Laura Cutler and Marcello do Cintio.
Looking to become a novelist? Book Television and Chapters-Indigo are accepting applications for the 3-Day Novel Contest, where each contestant attempts to knock out a novel in 72 hours. The winner gets a week’s mentorship at a writers’ workshop and publication in WestWord magazine. The deadline for applications is June 15, and are available at Chapters, Coles and Indigo stores, or by going online to www.booktelevision.com.
At Pages on Kensington, Coteau Books presents Unconventional Poetry for the Unconventional Hearts on Thursday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m., a series of readings from three of the publisher’s poets, including Pat Clifford, Katherine Lamere and Pamela Porter. On Friday, June 2, Pearl Luke reads from Madame Zee, the much-anticipated follow-up to her acclaimed debut, Burning Ground.
At McNally Robinson on Thursday, May 25 at 7 p.m., local poets face off in the fourth Calgary Poetry Slam. On Wednesday, May 31 at noon, Mark Milke will be signing copies of his new book, A Nation of Serfs (us, I guess), looking at Canadian political corruption. The politics excitement continues with University of Calgary political scientist Doreen Barrie launching her new book, The Other Alberta: Decoding a Political Agenda, on Wednesday, May 31 at 7 p.m. |
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