Celebrated dark novel and Aberdeen's forensic mental health
Award-winning author, Professor Paul Crawford writes about how his latest novel, The Wonders of Doctor Bent, reflects life within secure hospital facilities like the Blair Unit at Royal Cornhill Hospital.
There are a wide range of secure forensic hospitals and units in the UK. I have visited many of these in my role at the Institute of Mental Health. Some are relatively modern builds like the Blair Unit (medium-secure) inspected by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland in 2016. Back then, the unit seemed to have a rather depleted outdoor space with recommendations for improvements. Of course, not all forensic mental health services are modern, up-to-date or achieving the kind of healing environment expected.
There can be quite a difference between secure hospital settings in terms of their quality. The best of these try to counter the prisonlike environment to aid the recovery and rehabilitation of people with serious mental health problems who pose a risk to the public or themselves.
When the risk of harm is grave and immediate, such patients will go to a high-security hospital usually under the Mental Health Act as applied in Scotland. In Scotland there is only one such service, The State Hospital in Carstairs. This facility also serves Northern Ireland. At such facilities, what we think of as a hospital can seem lost in grim, prisonlike architecture, even when modern.
In The Wonders of Doctor Bent, the worlds of Jason Hemp, an English lecturer, and Dr Bent, the unlikely Medical Director of high-security psychiatric hospital Foston Hall, come together in a dark tale of murder, revenge and abandonment. Attempting to track down his twin brother’s killer, Hemp finds his life unravelling in unexpected and frightening ways, whilst visionary Dr Bent attempts to reform Foston Hall into a place of comfort, making it less prisonlike, all while facing his own mental health challenges.
The novel is fictional yet draws on my work in mental health over nearly four decades. For good reason, then, I have been somewhat nervous awaiting advance reviews from leading figures in the field. Thankfully, they have given resounding endorsements:
"Crawford is a master storyteller. The Wonders of Doctor Bent covers deep and dark themes in a compelling and highly engaging manner. Be prepared to be taken on a thrilling adventure that delves into the very essence of what makes us human...” - Professor Ahmed Hankir, Consultant Psychiatrist, and author of The Breakthrough
"Brooding, brilliant and beautiful." - Dave Chawner, standup and TV comedian, mental health campaigner and author of Weight Expectations
"A beautifully written and engaging psychological thriller that will keep you thinking long after the final page… With impeccable prose and a thought-provoking plot, this dark literary thriller not only captivates fans of the genre but also offers profound value to those with lived experience of or an interest in mental health, shedding light on the complexities of compassion and accountability." - Dr David Crepaz-Keay, Mental Health Foundation
“A moving tale of loss and love. Jason Hemp breaks down after his perfect brother is murdered and Dr Bent, an imperfect, thrill-seeking, motorcycle-riding healer, fights to transform the humiliating state of the public services. His revolutionary changes are undermined, and he is left wondering what it is all for, and resolves to repair his own dark wounds...” - Kam Bhui CBE, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Oxford
"A brilliantly written thriller which draws us into the dire consequences of adverse childhood experiences. It poignantly reveals the potential for recovery." - Gene Beresin MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
"Moving storytelling and vivid characters take the reader on an emotional journey of grief, loss, and love. Though the themes are dark, this novel is a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit. Crawford at his very best." - Thomas Curran, Leading psychologist and author of The Perfection Trap
The Wonders of Doctor Bent is available at Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith, Foyles, Cranthorpe Millner, and all good bookshops.