by Alison Littlewood

Jo Fletcher Books, out now

Trust no one.

Alison Littlewood’s latest novel, The Crow Garden, once more takes us to the 19th century – moving between Yorkshire and London as the protagonist, Dr. Nathaniel Kerner, starts work at a mental institution, Crakethorne Manor. Once there, he becomes involved with Mrs. Victoria Harleston – recently committed by her husband for ‘refusal to fulfil her wifely duties.’ She is thought to be an hysteric, but the young Dr. Kerner finds himself strangely drawn to this beautiful, dignified woman.

Crakethorne is run by a Dr. Chettle, a staunch advocate of the latest treatments – such as dunking a patient in freezing water, or shocking them with electricity – and a keen believer in the science of phrenology: analysis of the skull. As he oversees Dr. Kerner’s treatment of Mrs. Harleston – Kerner believes in the new-fangled ‘cure by conversation’, the foundation of modern-day psychiatry – Chettle often overrules Kerner’s decisions, and Kerner is convinced this is the cause of Mrs. Harleston’s deterioration. In desperation, Kerner decides to try ‘mesmerism’, which he is convinced will unlock the trauma he believes to underlie all of Mrs. Harleston’s symptoms.

Then Mrs. Harleston escapes, and Dr. Kerner pursues her to London only to find her working as a ‘medium’ on the stage there. He soon starts a relationship with his patient, but his world starts to unravel; nothing he thought he knew bears closer scrutiny, until he cannot trust his memories or those around him. He cannot even believe his own senses.

The author has written a story very deeply rooted in the 19th century; drawing on that time’s fascination with mesmerism (or hypnotism as we know it now), spiritualism, and the budding science of psychiatry. Nothing is as it seems, and as young Nate Kerner fights to keep his sense of what is real, the reader is drawn along with him to the almost inevitable conclusion – which still comes as a surprise, because it’s cleverly concealed within twist after twist as the plot is gradually revealed.

Verdict: A masterclass in confusion – who to trust? 7/10

Marie O’Regan