A Lone Walk

by Gul Y. Davis

A nightmarish vision balanced by wit, tenderness, and a passionate sense of humanity Recalling Franz Kafka at his darkest, this poignant novella about a damaged individual and his bid for freedom from an inhuman mental health system is the literary equivalent to Breaking the Waves with a taste of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest thrown in for good measure. Taking the reader inside the head of a persecuted man wrongly imprisoned in a mental hospital, the horrors of institutional life as well as the struggle for identity that accompanies them are outlined with heartbreaking detail and insight. As tortured hero Wil breaks for freedom from the brutal psychiatric regime, he is confronted with unexpected choices. Who can he an alluring voice from his childhood dreams? Or a big-hearted nurse who reassures him, "not all of these places are the same."

Genres: Novels

120 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

Reviews

[elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

definiríao como lectura rara, pero gustoume leelo e decepcionoume que acabase "tan pronto", creo que podría haber sido un libro muto máis extenso e houbérame gustado que o autor afondase sobre a relación do personaje principal coa súa mai, co que lle pasou e así en xeral.

gustoume tb a pincelada sobre as instituciones mentales e q muta peña está aí sin querer estalo (traballadores) e que en mutos casos son pencos con 0 empatía.

(3.5)

[sisterimapoet · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short but arresting read. Very disturbing and disorientating. Written in a way that really immersed you in the mind of the central character - which was not a comfortable place to be. Lasting impressions and images and a distinctive prose style. It will be interesting to see what the author does with a more extended novel.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good portrayal of mental illness and the potential awfulness of institutionalisation. Definitely worth a read. Beautifully poetic and jarring and disturbing all at the same time.

[Tanya Mazaheri · Rating 2 out of 5]

very easy read literally finished in like 1hr30, enjoyed it only for its brevity and ability to transport me into the character’s mind in only 100ish pages

[Daniel J. Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soy incapaz de decir que me
ha gustado, ya que_ la angustia y ansiedad que provoca es, nunca mejor dicho, demencial.
Tampoco
se decir si es bueno... pero que genera emociones, seguro.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again this is a mate of mine (in my writer's group)so maybe a biased review, but this fictional trawl through the psychiatric system is a stunning work, based on Gul's real experiences. Tina Jackson's review in the Big Issue (taken from amazon)sums it up well:
'Gul Y Davis' depiction of life inside the psychiatric system is made even more horrifying because of the sharp, clear way it is written. In a short book which packs an almighty punch, Davis follows one patient, beset by paranoid delusions, through a nightmarish mental health system. It's an unsparing, frightening book which conveys the hallucinatory horror of derangement heightened by the fear of being trapped in an uncaring system. Chilling.'

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't spend enough time on it the first go so I'm starting it again. It's confusing a little disorienting, but I think that's exactly the point and I think the writing really excellently captured the Feeling of living with a severe mental illness in the writing style alone. Things jump back and forth you're often not sure of what's going on, who's talking right now, what day is it, how much time has passed and I think that the writing style is a natural extension of those aspects of illness. Extremely impressive

[Sephie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was just a horrible read so I gave up with it.

[Lidia · Rating 3 out of 5]

No me ha gustado la narración, ni ha tenido un final concluyente.