What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
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ABANDONED. ?political/non-conformist prisoner, given ECT type corrective treatment, befriends older man - play chess together. Realises man is also "sane" but they have to pretend the "treatment" is working
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This book sounds fascinating - someone should be able to help you find the name of your book soon.
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Lobstergirl wrote: "Does a question mark before a word mean you aren't sure about that particular word?"yes it does.
so I'm not sure why he was taken to that place - but it was certainly because he didn't agree with things.
and I don't know where the place was - it was remote and could have been an island but could not have been!
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Kris wrote: "Reminds me of the British TV show "The Prisoner"."Hmm, I've never seen that show. It wasn't based on, or inspired by any book?!
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Hmm, I've never seen that show. It wasn't based on, or inspired by any book?!"
Not that I'm aware of. The main character is a former secret agent. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pri...
Polly, I recently watched a movie with this very same premise - an innocent man was locked away in an asylum and would be tortured by solitary confinement in a file cabinet. He finally found a friend there who pretended to be insane and they would play chess together. Does this sound familiar? I'm wanting to say Gary Sinise or Nick Nolte were in this movie.
possibly.... it certainly sounds similar!
Hopefully I can remember the name sometime soon :D
A guess - Revenge by Stephen Fry?One Amazon reviewer -
Bereft of human contact for much of that time, except for that of his captors, Ned forgets who he is until he strikes up an unlikely friendship with a fellow patient named Babe. A crusty old buggar is Babe, and he effectively pulls Ned back from the brink of madness (but not quite all the way--that's where the "Revenge" part comes in). From Babe and the limited hospital library Ned receives a more intensive education than he was ever likely to get at Oxford--ask yourself how you'd spend all those years--becoming a master chess player and attaining fluency in over a half-dozen languages along the way while he prepares for life after his harrowing escape.
ooh, looks promising I'll look into that thank you!
Hope it's your book. Please let us know when you have checked it out. I am going to read this anyway, it sounds good.
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Polly (OP) was last active on the site in September 2018.
What's the Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
Revenge (other topics)Schachnovelle (other topics)
Working through his "rehabilitation" he is allowed to mix with other "inmates". He starts playing "chess" (they aren't allowed a real chess set so have to remember where all the pieces are and moves etc) with an older man who he thinks is "past it".
One day he realises that the older man is actually very with it and fully aware. I think when they are playing chess and a staff/warden is nearby. The old man says something like "that's right, don't let them know" or something which indicates that he understands.
They have many more conversations over more chess games.
I think he (younger man) escapes / is released and possibly the older man dies but can't remember!!!!
It was written from the perspective of the younger man but can't remember if it was third person narrative.
I was in the UK, it was maybe 2000-2010 don't think it was a recent release though? Quite a thick book.
Kind of in the George Orwell - 1984 / Isaac Asimov type of genre.
(Not "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and not "Shutter Island")