Review: The Snake Pit

The Snake Pit by Mary Jane Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! I don't know if I can do a review of this book justice. I saw a rerun of this movie many years ago, and it left an impact, but not like reading this book did. This was a powerful, deep, unforgettable, and unforgivable read that kept me up half the night tossing, turning, and thinking.

Oh, please don't get me wrong-it did have some tiny comedic moments. But if you know of anyone in a mental health unit or behavioral health unit (Psychiatric hospital), this may not be the perfect book for you. I did have a relative in one, and I can only say that it was not much like this book portrayed them.

If you do read this book, make sure that you read the afterword by Larry Lockridge, and the personal writings of Mary Jane Ward-it's a real eye-opener.

It would be best if you remembered that this book was first published in 1946, and things have gotten better. As to how much better, not a whole heck of a lot if you ask me.

This book starts very confusing, and you may be tempted to end it at the first chapter, but I urge you to read on. Please! Actually, most of the book can be somewhat confusing because (and you must remember this) it was a book seen through the eyes of an "insane" woman. I know that is not politically correct to say, but this IS 1946.

ARC provided by the publisher, the Library of America, and ATTL/Edelweiss. Thank you

View all my reviews

Synopsis: A dramatic best-seller, The Snake Pit vividly depicts one woman's plunge into the nightmare world of the mentally ill and her agonizing climb back to health and freedom. When it was first published, the book claimed attention as a moving study of mental illness based on personal knowledge. This fictionalized, brilliant, and uncompromising first-person account of madness and life in an insane asylum was subsequently made into a haunting movie.