Notes from an exhibition

by Patrick Gale. Fourth Estate, 2007.

Madness and creativity have been linked together in this wonderful book. The story is of Rachel Kelly, an artist, and the reader becomes a detective, piecing together the clues of a life – as an artist, lover, mother, wife and patient. What emerges is a story of love, of a family which weathers tragedy, mental illness and the strain of living with a genius. Told via notes from a posthumous retrospective of Rachel's work, which head each chapter, the narrative offers an unusual way into the half-dozen changing viewpoints, like apparently random pieces of a jigsaw. An immensely satisfying book, Notes from an Exhibition is funny, sad, tender and frightening all at the same time.

- Wendy