Faces in the Water

One of the most impressive accounts of madness to be found in literature. A masterpiece. (Anita Brookner) This novel depicts the confinement of the mad and the banishment and punishment of those whose only reaction to an insane world is to enter a realm of self-creation. When Janet Frame’s doctor suggested that she write about her traumatic experiences in mental institutions in order to free herself from them, the result was Faces in the Water, a powerful and poignant novel.