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Littlewood, Alison,

The crow garden / Alison Littlewood. - London Jo Fletcher Books, an imprint of Quercus Editions 2017 - 372 pages ; 22 cm.

"Set a guard upon your soul" -- cover.

Haunted by his father's suicide, Nathaniel Kerner walks away from the highly prestigious life of a consultant to become a mad-doctor. He takes up a position at Crakethorne Asylum, but the proprietor is more interested in phrenology and his growing collection of skulls than the patients' minds. Nathaniel's only interesting case is Mrs Victoria Harleston: her husband accuses her of hysteria and delusions - but she accuses him of hiding secrets far more terrible. Nathaniel is increasingly obsessed with Victoria, but when he has her mesmerised, there are unexpected results: Victoria starts hearing voices, the way she used to - her grandmother always claimed they came from beyond the grave - but it also unleashes her own powers of mesmerism... and a desperate need to escape. Increasingly besotted, Nathaniel finds himself caught up in a world of seances and stage mesmerism in his bid to find Victoria and save her.

ISBN: 9781786485083 (paperback) 1786485087 (paperback) 9781786485250 (hardback) 1786485257 (hardback)

Subjects--Topical Terms:
Psychiatrists--Fiction.
Mesmerism--Fiction.
Hysteria--Fiction.
Women patients--Fiction.
Psychiatric hospitals--Fiction.
Mental illness--Fiction.

Dewey Class. No.: 823.92