"What begins as a gentle tale of domestic disharmony evolves into a page-turning psychological thriller. The Girl on the Landing is an easy summer read, but no less compelling for that. Michael and Elizabeth have a functional but almost loveless marriage, which changes when Michael sees an apparition. As his personality begins to change as a result, so too does their relationship, which rapidly becomes loving, passionate and fulfilling to them both.
Elizabeth begins to discover the reasons behind Michael - now Mikey's - transformation and discovers that her husband has had a lifelong battle with schizophrenia, which has been'chemically engineered' by severe medication, which Michael has, she discovers, stopped taking.
As the novel progresses, with husband and wife narrating alternate chapters, we realise the nature of Michael's struggle to find his real self, which has potentially dangerous consequences.
The ending was sadly somewhat predictable, but the novel contained within it just about enough psychological/medical insight into Michael's condition and exploration of the consequences of accepting or resisting medication, to maintain interest throughout."
Sunday, 5 July 2009
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