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, he finds his life unravelling in unexpected and frightening ways, whilst visionary Dr Bent attempts to reform Foston Hall into a more humane, active place while facing his own mental health challenges.
In a thriller like this, there is usually a great deal of fast-moving action. This is key to a gripping storyline, of course. The Wonders of Doctor Bent contrasts the active and inactive body and the potential of sport, playing it or simply watching it, for healing people’s minds as well as their bodies. We know that keeping active and exercising is important for our physical and mental health.
Dr Bent’s hospital, Foston Hall, is a closed, confining prisonlike environment for the treatment of people with serious mental health conditions who are a grave and immediate danger to the public, with few options for exercise. His reforms set out to enhance the care of patients with restricted freedom, with new exercise and cultural resources, not least a swimming pool and artificial hill that inmates can use for walking and viewing the wider countryside while remaining behind high-security fencing.
The other main character, Jason Hemp, an English lecturer, at one point, deals with his isolation and boredom by watching a game of football. The value of viewing sport, whether on television or at sporting events, should not be underestimated. It can really benefit human health and connectivity. Importantly, simply watching it can reduce stress and enhance mood.
Professor Crawford, a leading figure in mental health at the Institute of Mental Health at the University of Nottingham, is delighted that his novel has attracted a great deal of interest from leading figures in mental health:
“Brooding, brilliant and beautiful." - Dave Chawner, author of Weight Expectations, Stand-Up Comedian and Mental Health Campaigner
“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
The Wonders of Doctor Bent is out 25th February and available to pre-order at Amazon, WHSmith, Foyles, Waterstones, Cranthorpe Millner, and all good bookshops.
