New novel and Lancashire's lunatic asylums

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 place through what staff call ‘his wonders’, all while facing his own mental health challenges. He is, as many of us are, a wounded healer.

It is to Lancashire that the gothic Medical Director, Dr Bent rides his Harley to discover exactly what happened in his early life. His rides across the countryside, not least the Peaks, become a type of self-medication as he rounds corners at speed, attempting to rearrange the chemicals in his brain.

Of course, while the imaginary world I create bears some resemblance to real physical environments, all events and characters are purely inventions. In many ways, Foston Hall high-security hospital is an amalgam of years of research in mental health, not least the history of asylums. In Lancashire, there are rick pickings in this sense, awash with no less than six institutions: Lancaster Moor Hospital, Prestwich Hospital, Rainhill Hospital, Whittingham Hospital Hospital, Winwick Hospital and Calderstones Hospital.

Looking back, my writing life has grown out of adverse experiences in childhood. I have written about this abuse and recently spoken on BBC radio about the terrible impact. Such experiences bring loss of trust so profound, so immense, that I have been seriously depressed. Like the character Dr Bent, I too have battled against taking my own life. I have had to find my own personal asylum (from the Greek asylos meaning ‘safe from violence’) to survive.

Books and writing have been my asylum, my self-prescribed medication, sustaining me in my writing and in leading research at The Institute of Mental Health. I am, like many colleagues contributing in the field of mental health, and like Dr Bent, a wounded healer.

One of the joys of writing fiction alongside academic non-fiction is hearing back from my readers. One such reader is Professor James Moran, Professor of Modern English and Drama at The University of Nottingham who knows a great deal about D.H. Lawrence as well as other significant midlands writers so his words mean a lot to me! He comments:

“I loved the book! The Wonders of Doctor Bent is an engaging and entertaining novel. Paul Crawford has created two memorable central characters, and draws on his own real-life experience of health humanities and creative practice to draw us into his vividly realised version of life in the contemporary English midlands.”

Dr David Crepaz-Keay at Mental Health Foundation writes:

"A beautifully written and engaging psychological thriller that will keep you thinking long after the final page. Paul Crawford’s The Wonders of Doctor Bent is a gripping exploration of mental health, morality, and the human psyche. With impeccable prose and a thought-provoking plot, this dark literary thriller not only captivates fans of the genre but also offers profound value to those with lived experience of or an interest in mental health, shedding light on the complexities of compassion and accountability." -

While Gene Beresin MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, comments:

"A brilliantly written thriller which draws us into the dire consequences of adverse childhood experiences. It poignantly reveals the potential for recovery." -

Finally, Dave Chawner, author of Weight Expectations, Stand-Up Comedian and Mental Health Campaigner gave the kind of one-liner that you dream about as a writer!

"Brooding, brilliant and beautiful."

To my readers in Lanchashire, thank you! To those traumatised in childhood, and those struggling with mental challenges there, I wish all good things to come your way.

The Wonders of Doctor Bent is available at Amazon, WHSmith, Foyles, Waterstones, Foyles, Cranthorpe Millner, and all good bookshops.