The Blind is the first book written by A F Brady that I immediately wanted to read as soon as I first heard about it. With the author’s background being in counselling/psychotherapy The Blind was a novel that was truly psychological in every sense of the word. This was a book that had me gripped from beginning to end as I was so desperate to find out just what would happen next.
Sam James is a psychologist at the Typhlos Psychiatric Centre in Manhattan who, despite appearing calm and professional to her clients, has a personal life that is in turmoil. As a barely functioning alcoholic in an unhealthy relationship who appears unable to save herself, she is passionate and dedicated to helping others. Soon after the novel begins Sam begins working with Richard who comes to Typhlos and appears to be a very challenging patient who says very little. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Sam is determined to discover just what is going on with him, but to do so she’ll have to face her own demons…
Although I couldn’t relate to much of what Sam had experienced in her life, I liked her as a character and admired her for her dedication to her job and supporting patients. Given their role, some might think that the life of a counsellor away from work is nothing but perfect, but Sam demonstrated how this may not always be the case - counsellor’s are human and as such face difficulties of their own too. I loved getting to know Sam and thought that A F Brady had done fantastic job with her character.
As a book that provides a very real insight into mental illness and the therapies that patients may have in order to treat these, A F Brady’s own experience of working in this field really shines through and as such I thought that The Blind was a fascinating novel. Given the many additional themes that this book deals with alongside mental health, including domestic abuse and alcoholism, one thing that must be said is that this book does not always make for easy reading but I thought that A F Brady handled the subject matter perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s writing style and thought that it was engaging and compelling throughout.
Whilst there was no big or surprising reveal within The Blind, this was a book that carried an important message about learning to cope, heal and move forwards in life. I enjoyed it and hope to read many more great things by A F Brady in the future.
