Bipolar disorder explored in vivid and deeply personal new fiction book House of Bread
A young man’s life is turned upside down by mental illness, in this personal and powerful novel inspired by the author’s own experiences with bipolar disorder, and journey to peace and self-acceptance.
South London 1989, Dan Blake is twenty-one and while most of his friends are having the time of their lives, high on ecstasy and attending raves, he has been arrested and sectioned. Transferred to Woodland Park Hospital, Dan quickly discovers life is no picnic, with the treatment and attitudes of the staff bordering on archaic. But, then again, it does have its moments…
After Dan awakens from enforced tranquillisation, he meets fellow hospital patients: Alec, a young man with an unspecified disorder, Jack, an alcoholic philosopher and Kate, a woman who was sexually abused by a family member. These are the new friends that will be by Dan’s side as he adjusts to life at Woodland Park and struggles to cope with the side effects of his new medication. After an old love visits, Dan reflects on the heartbreak he felt over her, realising her rejection was a major trigger of his depression. But when an unusual love triangle starts to develop, Dan and Kate ‘The Elf’ attempt to escape with idealistic dreams of putting their lives back together in the real world.
Amanda Nicol was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when she was in her twenties and was subsequently hospitalised. After she was discharged, Nicol felt the shame and stigma that so many psychiatric patients face, and found herself having to help her own family and friends cope with her personal crisis of mental illness. In an age where growing numbers of mentally ill people are in emotional distress, House of Bread is optimistic novel, challenging the taboos that continue to surround mental health issues, showing us that personal salvation can be found in the ordinary miracles of nature, friendships and love.
Vivid, painful and engrossing, House of Bread provides readers with an intelligent blend of memoir, education and black comedy, and is a must-read for anybody who has experienced mental illness either personally or through that of a loved one.
About the author: Living with her husband in Hastings, East Sussex, Amanda Nicol spent 20 years restoring Old Master paintings and is now a full time writer and painter. She is currently working on a memoir of her journey of healing from both mental illness and, more recently, cancer and its treatment both in the UK and in Mexico. Her other titles include; Dead Pets Society and Badric’s Island (Clink Street Publishing December 2015). House of Bread by Amanda Nicol was originally published in 2013 and will be re-released 8th December by Clink Street Publishing (RRP £7.99 paperback, RRP £3.99 ebook).
For more information, visit www.AmandaNicol.co.uk.
