Where Madness Lies is based on a true story and deals with mental illness and how it was treated during WWII. Told in alternating timelines in 1934 and 1984. In Germany Inga tries to help her sister Rigmor with her “feeble mindedness” and how they were affected by Hitlers rules regarding those with mental illness. Inga also has a granddaughter, Sabine, in Boston in 1984 who also admits herself to a hospital due to similar symptoms. Inga feels like she has to help Sabine through this ordeal even if she has to revisit the past and tell long held secrets. I enjoyed the story and it was different than a lot of the other stories set during the war in Germany. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc for a honest review.

Can you turn your life around from past mistakes?

The year is 1934, and Inga Sommer (nee Blumenthal), a wealthy Jewish aristocrat, spends her days in Frankfurt, Germany, trying to find a cure for her sister Rigmor, who suffers many psychiatric problems. The Nazis presence is already felt yet somehow, the Blumenthal family feel safe. Inga’s only concern is getting her sister the best help possible to get better.

Fast forward to 1984, Inga’s granddaughter, Sabine, has recently had a baby and shortly afterwards has a nervous breakdown. She is admitted to a mental hospital in Massachusetts. Inga has never been the “mothering type” but feels that she must leave her home in Switzerland and go to Sabine’s aid.

Sylvia True has based the story of real events and real people. Her writing is exquisite and rich with so much empathy and hopes while describing very dark times. All the characters, especially Inga and Sabine, are so well drawn that I felt as if I not only knew them, but that they were my friends. Inga’s love for both her sister and then later for her granddaughter is so strong it pulsates through the pages. Any mistakes she’s made have been made from love.

I must say before I close this review that it shocks me how little I know about conditions in Germany when Hitler came to power. Before he declared war, the years were spent perfecting how his fellow Nazis would use the gas chambers. They started by first eradicating society of the weak, the insane, and the disabled. They also insisted that anyone in a mental institution was sterilised. Sylvia True also shares early psychiatry treatments. Some were barbaric. We can thank science for moving on in rapid leaps and bounds to the present day. People like Rigmor’s condition would be entirely under control, thanks to the fantastic medicines available today.

I’m so grateful to have had the chance to read the book. I’ve learnt so much. Thank you Sylvia True to opening my eyes.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

I enjoyed the parallels between the characters. The novel alternates between 1934 & 1984. It’s an examination of how depression effects not only the patient but the entire family sometimes multi-generations. It’s a great example of the stigma that still has a tight grip on mental illness.

1934 Frankfurt Pre-war Germany we are introduced to Inga eldest daughter, Frieda the overbearing mother, and Rigmor the baby of the family. Inga & Frieda are constantly arguing about how best to help Rigmor with her anxiety/depression.

1984 Belmont, Mass, USA, we meet Sabine, daughter to Lisbet, Tanner & Mia are Sabine’s husband & new baby.

The connection among everyone is Inga, her love for knowledge and her devotion to family and her commitment for helping whatever way she sees fit.

The book is very much a comparison of “then and now.” It’s about family dynamics. It’s also a comparison of economics and social status. Enlightening read. You will continue to think about this book after you finish.

Special thanks to Sylvia True, #netgalley and #TopHatBooks for the kindle ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sylvia True returns following The Wednesday Group (2016) with a stunning and emotionally charged multi-generational historical/psychological fiction, WHERE MADNESS LIES. Eye-opening and heartbreaking real truths about mental illness.

The author expertly intertwines history and matters of the heart.

Based on the author's family and inspired by real events, the writing is lyrical and beautifully rendered; I found this to be one of the top historical fiction books of 2021! I could not put it down, and these characters will haunt you long after the book ends. It will chill you to the bones.

WHERE MADNESS LIES alternates between the 1980s' Massachusetts and 1930's Germany. From injustice, mental illness, the powerful, eugenics, and cruelty of human lives.

Two women, both stories equally as compelling across generations.

My top historical books of 2021 are The Four Winds (Kristin Hannah), Surviving Savannah (Patti Callahan), and Where Madness Lies (Sylvia True).

These "feebleminded" (as they were called) women were misunderstood, improperly diagnosed, and the solution was to put them away. However, families' good intentions are not always the best when the people and government behind the institutions are filled with greed, evil, and hatred, and a lack of concern for human lives behind these walls. So what is the right thing to do? Their struggles are real. If you have money, as in this case, you can hire specialized care; however, oftentimes that is short-lived.

We meet Sabine (1984), married with a young baby daughter. She has been kept in the dark about her family history and mental illness. She has been experiencing some post-partum depression and wants help. She is only twenty-six. When she agrees to be treated, she is not told in advance, she cannot keep her baby with her. It was supposed to be three business days.

We then meet Inga (Arlesheim, Switzerland 1984). Forty-nine years earlier, she and her mother left Germany. Rigmor was her sister. She suffered from mental illness, and Inga feels somewhat responsible for her death since she encouraged her to be admitted to an asylum, McLean. Things did not go as planned.

Rigmor was well-read and talented in music and art. She was intimidated by their mother and did not want to make waves. Unlike her strong sister, Inga, she was bred to be an aristocrat, a hostess, and a good wife; she could do all things though none of them interested her.

We later meet Arnold (loved him), a psychiatrist and a man of science whom the family knew and asked him to help take care of Rigmor. His story will break your heart as well. They became friends. The doctors thought Rigmor had a touch of hysteria. So how do you go from this to unsafe eugenic sterilization?

She was treated at home, and the family did not want her to be institutionalized or sterilized. Which was what happened to those with mental illness.

Alternating between Germany 1934, we go back to the lives of the sisters and their dominating mother. By the end of the book, we are back in Switzerland in 1985, where three generations finally meet.

What tragedy and loss. When the past meets the present and secrets of the past are unfolded, and truths come to light. Sabrina learns to care for those around her, and she soon knows as long as she has her daughter and new friends, she is not fond of going back home to her husband and former life.

It is heartbreaking to think about mentally ill patients sent by transport to euthanasia stations. How the Jews were treated, and the horrible Nazis. The mentally ill-placed in chambers with carbon monoxide thinking they were taking a shower. They were murdered. Physicians looked the other way and lied to the families.

This is a gripping story about loss, hope, and redemption, and parallels with our world today. What I loved about this story is the way it was told so as to hear from the members of the family and their need to protect. A perfect title.

Thank you, Sylvia, for writing this close to your heart story about the shameful secrets that cross three generations of a once-proud aristocratic family.

Written with compassion, emotion, and heart, I think this author has found her calling, and I hope we see more historical fiction from her soon. A compelling story about the horrors of our past generations: sadly, today, our world has not learned from past mistakes.

For fans of Diane Chamberlain's Necessary Lies Even though set in the south in the 1960s, you will see some similarities in some power, eugenics, and sterilization and those who cross moral lines to help those who cannot help themselves.

Highly recommend! Top Books of 2021.

PS: You have been missed, Sylvia, and glad you are back! You were born to tell this story.

#JDCMustReadBooks

Read my Review: The Wednesday Group on my blog. Top Books of 2016.

I have read many books both non-fiction and fiction on the Second World War and have never read a book based on the appalling way that the mentally ill were treated. This is based on a true story and tackles mental health with alternate timelines spanning between 1934 and 1984.

I enjoyed this book very much and will be recommmending this book to my sister.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #JohnHuntPublishing and the author #SylviaTrue for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One woman links two stories together fifty years apart, both revolving around mental health issues. In 1934 Germany Inga’s sister Rigmor suffers from bouts of severe depression, so her wealthy Jewish mother agrees to her being committed to a mental institute partly because of embarrassment and because she wants her daughter to get better.

Paperwork and lies soon entangle Rigmor in the system the won’t let her go as doctors are heading down the path of experiments, sterilisation and extermination of those not perfect for the new German dream of Adolph Hitler


In the present day, 1984, a much older Inga comes to the aid of her granddaughter Sabine who has signed herself into a clinic because of postnatal depression she thought she was in control and didn’t realise that she had signed away the rights to her baby. The story jumps between past and present and had been hushed up all these years, until now.

This story has been written with passion and it wound its way into me. I was very overwhelmed with the cruelty that was going on behind secret locked doors. At times I cried more than once. But not all the doctors at this institute were eager to follow orders. There was more than one scene in this story that I read with a hand over my mouth because it was just too terrible.


Inga had lived through the hell of the past, now she was determined that things would be very different even if she had to risk her future now.
The story is based on events that happened to the author’s family. Somethings should never be forgotten.

I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book via netgalley!

A powerfully emotional book that reveals the stigma associated with mental illness over different decades. The characters’ struggle are so well described, you get totally immersed in them. And then there is misunderstood Inga who wants to save those around her from the Societal atrocities associated to this stigma. Will she prevail?

Based on a true story, Where Madness Lies is a dual-timeline novel, focusing on mental illness in 1930s Germany and 1980s Boston, USA.  Putting aside the appalling "treatment" meted out in Nazi Germany, the book also highlights how little has changed in those fifty years. Even now, another forty years on, the topic of mental health is not discussed as much as it should be. 

But, back to this book:  

In 1930s Germany, Inge has a fractious relationship with her mother as they clash over the care needed for her sister, Rigmor who has suffered from mental illness for much of her life. Inge pushes for a diagnosis so that Rigmor can lead a happy and more fulfilled life. Her mother also wants the best for Rigmor, but has a tendency to mollycoddle her rather than face up to reality. Eventually, Rigmor is hospitalised, and it is from this point on that her life is in danger - not from her condition itself, but from the upcoming practices of the Nazi government as they aim for the perfect Aryan race. 

In 1980s Boston, Sabine checks herself into the Maclean Clinic, recognising that she suffers from psychosis and needs to learn how to manage it. With a husband and young daughter, she is torn by the decision but soon feels safer at the Clinic than in her home environment. Inge, as Sabine's (de facto) grandmother travels from her home in Switzerland to help. But Sabine is not keen to have her grandmother around - at first. However, as they grow closer Sabine learns about Rigmor, and feels a closeness to her primarily as a result of having the same problems. 

The story flips between the two time periods and focuses on the relationships between the women and how their circumstances affect how they come to cope. For me, I hoped to hear more of Rigmor's story. The procedures and backstory of the eugenics programme initiated by the Nazis seemed to me to have been undertold, probably because it's a horrific truth that is difficult to do justice.  However, as a story - especially a true one - the family secrets are fascinating and intriguing enough on their own. I also enjoyed reading about Arnold, a key character in Rigmor's life, and whose role is far more significant than he realises. For me, the dual timeframe detracted from the original story, and overall the story didn't have the impact on me I was expecting, though I do appreciate how difficult it must be to tell a true story set against such a backdrop. 

It's an interesting story, though not really the one I was expecting. Even so, a worthwhile read.

This is based on a true story and tackles mental health with alternate timelines spanning between 1934 and 1984.

Rigmor and Inga are daughters of wealthy Jewish parents. Rigmor suffers with severe anxiety and depression, her sister is desperate to find a cure whilst her mother prefers to keep her daughters condition secret and keep her close at home.

In 1984 Sabine is also suffering with depression and anxiety after the birth of her daughter. She willingly becomes a patient at McLean hospital, unbeknown to her she will have to give up her daughter whilst she stays at the hospital.

This is beautifully written and a tragic story that captured my heart. A powerful book that covers mental health in an open and frank way.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

A haunting a poetic weaving together the lives of two women across time and continent. The description of pre-war Germany as the Nazi's rose to power, viewed through the lens of history was fascinating and heart breaking. The shame of metal illness in the 1930s, the desire to cure, the rising ideas of psychology and psychiatry at the time, clouded by an ideology of hatred and 'master-race' are cleverly, compassionately written without shying away from the disgusting horrific reality of the time. When Arnold is first in America I willed someone to listen and take him seriously.... it reminded me of the early reports of genocide in Rwanda reported to the UN and ignored by those with power and influence. When will we learn!?
The description of mental health care in the 1980s too was well written with Sabine's recovery aided by a seemingly unlikely ally. Inga seems to be someone stuck in the past but as the story unfold we see that it is the desire to learn from her past, to break the chains of shame that motivate her.
I loved the last few chapters, which brought the threads together without seeming twee or convenient. The last page was the perfect ending. Thank you Sylvia True for allowing the past of your own family's story to breathe life into this one. It was not a comfortable read, but a compelling one all the same.

There Is a lot in this book to like, although with such an harrowing subject perhaps like is the wrong word. The narrative follows the Family of Inga Sommer in two periods of history. The period of time just before WWII and the 1980's. The connecting thread is mental health and its perceptions and treatment. It has a shocking opening chapter in a trial in Dresden. and then moves through the time periods and settings (Germany and USA). The ending brings the events almost full circle for its characters.

However it was not an easy read - not because of its' content but I think because I failed to fully connect with the characters. There were points in the narrative which i just felt were a hard slog almost stilted

Where Madness Lies is a wonderfully written book. It is a tale of a family dealing with mental illness. The characters are very well developed and pull you into the story right away. One woman, Inga, is determined to help her sister that suffers from some form of mental illness and save her from the Nazi's that want to rid Germany of mental illness. Years later, her granddaughter has depression and Inga must relive the past to help her granddaughter deal with the depression and overcome the stigma that comes with it. The story itself will tug at your heart, but knowing that it is based on a true story makes it heartbreaking.

Germany, 1934: Rigmor, a young Jewish woman is a patient at Sonnenstein, a premier pyschiatric instition known for their curative treatments. But with the tide of eugenics and the Nazis' rise to power, Rignor is swept up in a campaign to rid Germany of the mentally ill.

USA, 1984: Sabine is battling crippling panick atacks and depression commits herself to McLean Hospital, but in doing so, she has unwittingly agreeed to give up her baby.

Inga is Rigmor's sister and the grandmother of Sabine. She feels she did everything in her power to help her sister. Now she's been given a second chance to free her granddaughter from oppressive forces

I can't even imagine how the Nazi could euthanise the mentally ill people who they called feeble minded. The dual timeline flipped back and forward seamlessly. The characters were intriguing. The story is based on true historical events which can be heartbreaking to read about. This addictive read is hard to put down.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #JohnHuntPublishing and the author #SylviaTrue for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was one emotional read and it was so beautifully written. I fell in love with all the main characters as they were all so hurt and distressed. I new of the atrocities inflicted by the Nazi’s n the death camps but this introduced a start that I had no knowledge of. I do not know who I felt the sorrier for nor who I just wanted to give a big hug to. All the characters were so realms was the places that were being described.
I had never thought about mental illness before I read this book but it opened my eyes to a new world billed with people who need help.
It has always been said that the best writing comes from your own experiences and this is certainly true here , how sad it must have been to have unearthed this true story about your own family and I can only hope that it has helped with any healing and delayed emotional stress.
Highly recommend this book to all readers.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A shocking and harrowing story. All the more so for being based on truth. The writing is good and the characters interesting.
Note that there should be trigger warnings for those reading this book.
On the whole, an OK book.

This is a chilling and harrowing account of the way mental illness was treated historically as well as the eugenics program that attempted to "cleanse" and "purify" society. Alternating between 1934 and 1984, the novel is based on a true story of the author's family. We meet Rigmor who is prone to fits of depression and melancholy; she is institutionalized and later sterilized to prevent her from passing on her illness. In 1984 we meet Sabine who checks herself into a facility not realizing she will be separated from her young daughter and husband until the authorities deem her "healed." Tying these women together is Inga who attempts to rescue both as she sees the truth. Parts of this book left me teary-eyed as the horrific nature of past society almost mirrors the unrest that we see today. Redemption is possible...but we must recognize the signs and bow to humanity as we respect the will of others as well as ourselves.

I SHOULD HAVE ENJOYED THIS MORE THAN I DID

I honestly don't think I was in the right frame of mind for this book. Because it should have been right up my alley - women and mental health, I usually love that! But this one just didn't move me. I just couldn't connect.

👍 What I Liked 👍

Mental health: If there's one subject I will always care about it's mental health. There's too much stigma surrounding mental health, too much taboo, making it even more difficult for people who suffer from poor mental health to get the help and treatment they need. That's the reason why I always champion books that deal with mental health issues. I really liked that this added a cultural and historical perspective to mental health.

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Characters: Even though I have a lot in common with many of the characters in this book, I really struggled to connect with any of them. They felt very underdeveloped and single-minded. I didn't see a lot of growth either.

Pace: The pace felt very slow, probably because of the dual timeline. This story takes place in both the 1930's and 1984. Both storylines moved really slow, making the overall pace of the book seem tortuously slow.

Where Madness Lies is a beautifully written and captivating novel which tells the story of a family from WWII Germany to the present day, alternating back and forth between the two eras with ease. The main subject of the book is mental illness; how it affects those who live with it, as well as the impacts to their family members. Though courses of treatment have varied through the years, unfortunately, the stigma attached to it still remains.

The author has based this novel on her own family, and I applaud her for sharing this story with others. Her detailed, rich, complex, and nuanced characters make the story come alive and I found it quite easy to relate to the pain and struggles of each of them.

It was fascinating to read about this subject from the WWII perspective. Of all the WWII novels I have read, this is the first to address the topic so directly.

This book will appeal to readers who enjoy historical novels and family sagas. A wonderful read!!

My thanks to NetGalley and TopHat for allowing me to read a copy of this novel which is scheduled to be published on 1/29/2021. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I received a free electronic ARC of this historical novel from Netgalley, Sylvia True, and John Hunt Publishing LTD - Top Hat Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Sylvia True writes a crisp tale covering an aspect of WWII in Germany that is not often addressed. Actually Where Madness Lies is a timeline of the growth - and lack thereof - in psychiatric care in the last century both in Europe and in the U.S. This was a hard book to read, especially in these pandemic days when we can't picture going on like this for much longer without going crazy. Watching our president stumble around like a madman. It is however essential that we do all keep abreast of the growth and expansion of the care of the mentally ill.

And Sylvia True takes us there. Read it, please, and keep in mind that every family has a member who is just that little bit 'off'. Who is your's, and how are they thriving?

Where Madness Lies is historical fiction based on a true story, and I found it to be a very compelling, but also difficult read. Set in both pre-WW2 Germany and 1984 Boston, the book tells the tale of mental illness that runs through family lines, of secrets, and of the terrible practices of the Nazi regime before and during WW2.

In Germany in the 1930’s Inga cares for her sister Rigmor who has suffered from mental illness for much of her life. Both sisters, as well as Inga’s husband Klaus, live with their mother Frieda. Inga is intent on finding a proper diagnosis for Rigmor so that she can live a happier life rather than being struck down by depression and psychosis on a regular basis. In the Boston area in 1984, Sabine has just had a baby, and decides to check herself into a mental health hospital on the recommendation of her therapist as she feels she cannot cope anymore. On hearing this news, Inga, who is Sabine’s grandmother, travels to the US to help her granddaughter. I know that is a bit of a barebones summary, but the beauty of this novel for me was discovering the ties between the characters, understanding the decisions that they made along the way, and finally understanding their interactions with each other, so I don’t really want to ruin that for anyone else!

The narrative skips between pre-war Germany and 1984 Boston, between Inga’s struggle to help Rigmor, and Sabine’s struggle to find herself again. While Inga’s family is wealthy, they are also Jewish, and persecution against the Jews has already begun. At the same time the Nazi government has put a deep interest into eugenics and euthanasia, and living with mental illness slowly becomes a death sentence rather than something that can be managed. Sabine on the other hand is unaware of her family’s mental health history, and while she has had depressive episodes in her life, she has never actually dealt with them properly until this point.

This book is so well written, and Sylvia True does such a great job developing the characters, as well as the storylines, weaving them altogether so well. At first I had a hard time liking Inga, especially when it came to her attitude towards Sabine, but as time went on she grew on me, and I learned to understand her better. I really appreciated the deep look into how mental health institutions operated in Nazi Germany and how easy it was for officials to rid themselves of people without creating any kind of mass outrage. Something to keep in mind when we look at present times too.

There is a lot to unpack in this book, and I would have actually loved for the story to continue on for a little longer. I was interested in seeing how Sabine coped with everything once she was released (mother/father/husband dynamics for example).

All in all I had a hard time focusing on anything else while I was reading this book and I really appreciated the insight into how mental illness was treated in Nazi Germany, and how terrifyingly easy it was for the regime to murder countless people based on a diagnosis.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.