Thoughts + Review: Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

I've always had an interest in the treatment of women within mental health facilities which is initially what drew me to this book. The second thing that drew me to this book is that I heard there'd be some lesbianism in this so I had to support the team.

The book follows young Louisa Cosgrove, an "improper" Victorian woman, who is essentially deceived and locked up in an asylum which is a far cry from her previous existence as a doctor's daughter. She wishes, throughout the book, to study medicine rather than doing her typical womanly duties of visiting friends and dressing up or horse riding like a lady. Suddenly she finds herself tossed into Wildthorn Hall, an asylum where she is robbed of her dignity and told that she is not Louisa Cosgrove and that she is actually a woman named Lucy Childs. It nicely sets up the question: is she Lucy or Louisa? Is she as sane as she would have us believe?

I instantly appreciated the corset on the cover. The book jots around interestingly in terms of time frame and narrative. We keep darting back to memories that uncover subtle truths about the identity of our narrator as we begin to piece together who is speaking to us.

Part one hops between the past and the present as we try to piece together how our protagonist became incarcerated. I like that our female protagonist isn't a total Mary Sue character. She's flawed, not typically attractive and very human.

It's quite a slow burner through out. By part three of the book I just wanted my questions answered and answered immediately. Who is Lucy Childs? Who is Louisa Cosgrove? Without mentioning any spoilers I was a little let down by this book. It had a promising start but in the end was quite plain and drawn out. This is the kind of book I'd reserve for holiday reading as it's not too complex and you can dip in and out with ease.

Fans of Girl, Interrupted, Orange is the New Black or the works of Emilie Autumn and anything on the incarceration of women in general will probably appreciate this novel.