‘Down the rabbit hole…’

Eleonor Anstruther is an incredibly talented writer with a beautiful, haunting writing style. When this book was published by Netgalley, it was on my bookshelf within a day – I hadn't even read the synopsis beforehand. I've read her previous novel, A Perfect Explanation, and loved it! She's a fantastic writer and I just knew this book was going to be another winner.

The novel has two 'stories' that intertwine, - and for those not quite used to the theatre world, it's worth taking a moment to look up what Noel Coward's play is about.

In this brilliantly constructed novel, it's the play Blithe Spirit and day-to-day life of the actors and their ‘issues, patterns and behaviours that are intertwined.

Like in the play, the writer is playing mind games with her ‘audience’, leaving the reader in a state of confusion about what is normal and acceptable, and what is not, what is real or what is fake. ‘Fake or real, Tessa couldn't tel.’ [red.], ‘each believing their reality was true…'[red.]

I have laughed and I have cried, especially when Tessa is concerned, her struggle, ‘trying to pick up the pieces after… [..] needing connection, not isolation, during one of her episodes in a psychiatric hospital.
The novel gives a wonderful insight into the posh lives of rugby dads, dinner parties, theatre rehearsals and children at expensive public schools.
When Tessa is sectioned, her friends try to avoid the subject by saying she is 'in Spain' to avoid any awkwardness about the how and the why, but underneath the others' seemingly perfect veneer, it turns out that each of them has their own torments to battle: Scott scarred by a childhood during the Troubles, beautiful, perfect and sexy Ros who wants to have what she cannot have, always looking to fill the void inside her, Carla struggling with her sexuality…
Tessa wonders why 'healthy' people are allowed to move around freely, while she is ‘ locked up in a cage.’ Others have ‘torments’ too, don't they? ‘Why don't they section narcissists and drunk people having a laugh, doing drugs or pot?' Why aren't they sectioned? [red:]’

The novel appears to be a blend of A Beautiful Mind, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (and yes, even nurse Ratched is there) and Blithe Spirit, focusing on a love triangle between a man and two women, with the central themes of sanity, femininity, conformity versus individuality, sexuality and freedom.

Deeply moving, and unforgettable. A 10 ⭐ star rating for me.

I don't know who would find this comical (dark or otherwise) but it is a sensitive portrayal of mental illness. Tessa's break down and subsequent hospitalization will make you think about others. It helps, btw, to be familiar with Blithe Spirit- a quick google will give you enough plot points to see why Anstruther chose it for the play. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

My thoughts on this book are conflicted. The writing is absolutely breathtaking and the subject of mental illness is approached sensitively yet with a gut wrenching rawness that pulls hard. Conversely, this book is far different from my expectations. That is not necessarily a bad thing but I found no dark comic elements at all. It is disturbing and troubling which is the reality many do live with. Spouses and others also go through associated nightmarish situations which is portrayed here as well.

The writing kept me engaged but I did not love the story itself. Some bits are a bit crass which doesn't appeal to me. But I did learn more about the inner workings of the mind in episodes. So terribly sad and crushing.

My sincere thank you to Troubador and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this poignant book.

"In Judgement of Others" has been described as "darkly comic" and "social satire," but I didn't find in the way of humor or wit in it. You wouldn't want to be stuck in a waiting room with most of the characters, let alone have to spend time with them over the period of weeks during which this book takes place, so at times reading this was a bit of a chore. Eleanor Anstruther depicts the mental states of the protagonists with precision, however, which makes up for the predictability of certain plot twists and an overall sense of distance, as if the characters were floating above their middle-class town rather than truly living in it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Troubador, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Troubadour for the eARC.
This is such a good book, it's painful, harrowing and so sad, but beautiful at the same time.
The description of Tessa's breakdown is very real. I was blown away with the way it was handled. The other characters had problems too, but didn't end up in a psych ward. It was a portrait of lives that clung on to sanity by a hair and how some of us can teeter on the cliff of life without being put away.

Three women in an affluent West Sussex community are each experiencing a crisis while they prepare to put on an am-dram production of Blithe Spirit. (I've never managed to get through Coward's play so it's not essential to be familiar with it, but a quick Google allowed me to see the resonances.)

A great page-turner which is entertaining and engaging while also tackling some serious themes around relationships and mental health.

Well, this book was definitely way more different from what I expected. lol
But in a good way!!!
The art cover is stunning, but the content is heavy and full of pertinent discussions on mental illnesses.
It's quite a short book, but it has a lot to say and to make us, the readers, thinking about and digesting it.
Certainly a very pleasant surprise.

This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I was not disappointed. It was a really good book. I did have moments where it seem slow, but overall it was written well. It was written about mental illness, and the way that it is treated. The way the author chose to write about such a hard topic was well done. I enjoyed this book immensely. I look forward to more books by this author. Thank you Net Galley ARC!

This is such a good book! It is about mental illness and we have our main character in a mental institution. We can't tell as readers if we have a reliable narrator or not. It is so intriguing and keeps you wondering throughout the book. It is a bit eye opening learning about the treatment of people, how so many people scam others, etc. I think there a couple slow parts and confusing parts, but other than that it was great!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!