The Glass House A novel of mental health

Graeme Simsion, Anne Buist — 2024

A compelling, addictive novel for readers of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine told with heart, humour and insight by Anne Buist and The Rosie Project's Graeme Simsion Welcome to The Menzies. Trainee psychiatrist Doctor Hannah Wright, a country girl with a chaotic history, thought she had seen it all in the emergency room. But that was nothing compared to the psychiatric ward at Menzies Hospital. Amongst unrelenting hours, hospital politics, fraught relationships and new friendships, Hannah must learn on the job in a strained medical system, navigating the conflicting practice of her boss, Nash, who puts his faith in pharmaceuticals, and his boss, Professor Gordon, who takes the Freudian line. Meanwhile, the new manager thinks they're all part of the problem. Hannah and her fellow trainees are dealing with the common and the bizarre, the hilarious and the tragic, the treatable and the confronting. Every day brings new patients: Chloe, who has life-threatening anorexia nervosa; Sian, suffering postpartum psychosis and fighting to keep her baby; and Xavier, the MP whose suicide attempt has an explosive story behind it. All the while, Hannah is trying to figure out herself. With intelligence, frankness and humour, eminent psychiatrist Anne Buist tells it like it is, while co-writer Graeme Simsion brings the light touch that made The Rosie Project an international bestseller and a respected contribution to the autism conversation.

Reviews

Renae Morran@renamena

May 15, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette ANZ for this ARC of The Glass House.

Set in the city of Melbourne, we follow the struggles of young psychiatric registrar Hannah while she works in an acute psychiatric unit.

I was a bit hesitant at first when I requested this, fiction novels about mental health in my experience have mostly left me underwhelmed. However, The Glass House was brutally honest, there wasn't a moment during this book where I felt something was missed and there were some pretty funny and relatable moments in there too, it wasn't dark and serious the whole time.

The characters were written in a way that communicated their struggles and illnesses for what they are without sugarcoating it and the portrayal of the hospital staff hierarchies, family dynamics, work/life balance and patient/doctor relationships were also pretty spot on.

I would 100% recommend this book to everyone, it's been about a week since I finished reading this and it's all I can think about, I feel like this book has imprinted on my soul. In saying that, it does cover some heavy topics so if you're interested, check the triggers first and check in with yourself throughout reading.