Life’s Symphony: The Grief Doctor By Jack Anderson

Despite psychologists and bereavement counsellors telling us there are five stages of grief which we all experience, I have found that we can display grief differently. Some people cry immediately or at the funeral or later, when something seemingly unconnected occurs and unleashes a wave of pent-up or carefully controlled emotion. We can cry because of shock or sadness, even when the death was expected, perhaps even a kindness, a blessed relief, not least for the dear departed, or when it was sudden, or untimely. Some people never cry. Guilt kicks in: could I have done more? Should I have done more? What did I do wrong? One thing is certain, there is nothing simple about grief and this novel does not pretend otherwise.

I admit the title did not immediately inspire me to read it and I put it to one side for several weeks, each time choosing a different book from the pile, but I need not have worried. Grief hits us all at some time and equally, curiosity got the better of me and I turned to page one. Maybe, I would find some answers.

The novel opens as Arthur Mason is grieving for his wife, Julia. She was his ‘one and only’. They met as teenagers, married, against the wishes of both families, in a registry office, at only eighteen, and lived happily ever after until Julia was cruelly taken from this world far too young. That is how Arthur sees it anyway; he has lost hold of the life raft and is sinking. He is falling apart, totally, utterly and completely. His mother, CEO of the successful family company which she hopes Arthur will one day inherit, is both a domineering figure in his life and desperate to help her son. Dr Dunn, the psychiatrist he has been seeing, seems to be totally ineffective. His mother will pay anything to get her only child some help, some relief from his suffering.

Dr Elizabeth Codelle comes highly recommended and her ‘Private Wellness Retreat’ will be worth every penny if it helps Arthur. His mother only has to persuade him to go. Dr Dunn has reservations. She knows of Dr Codelle: once a brilliant surgeon, she has turned to psychiatry for a challenge and her methods are groundbreaking, but Arthur is eventually persuaded and takes the first steps on a long and arduous journey, praying for relief from his pain.

This psychological thriller twists the nerves as Codelle believes that the end justifies the means and she pushes Arthur to his limits.

The retreat is situated on an island off the Welsh coast where there is only one residence, Prismall House, and only ever one patient at a time. This setting creates a claustrophobic atmosphere for the reader and the small cast enhances the feeling still further.

Dr Codelle’s methods are extreme and questionable to say the least; all fiction or with some legitimacy, I couldn’t say. Remembering without feeling: memories without joy or pain. This psychological thriller twists the nerves as Codelle believes that the end justifies the means and she pushes Arthur to his limits.

Codelle makes clear he cannot leave until he is completely well and Prismall House essentially becomes Arthur’s prison, however comfortable it may appear, at first. The two-week stay he anticipated will, it seems, stretch for ‘as long as it takes’. The silent bulk of Mr Villner, Codelle’s aide-de-camp, ensures Arthur does as he is told. Villner appears to be in thrall to Codelle; he is a true believer, as she coldly administers the treatment and he obeys her every command.

The plot diverges: grief counselling is presented as an escape from grief and a need for Arthur to escape the grief counsellor. His first attempt to leave has painful results. And when he then tries to play Codelle at her own game, who is he really fooling? The mind is a complex thing.

Another cruel twist, however, interrupts and the strength of this psychological thriller is still in play.

The narrative snaps back to past conversations between Arthur and Julia. Arthur feels better able to express himself if he imagines himself talking to Julia directly but these are the happy memories which Codelle wants to control. Her methods are monstrous, but while at times, terrifying, she is no monster, genuinely believing she can make people better. Those of you who read my review of The Binding might sense echoes of that; this is a modern means of mind control. How far you go is an ethical question.

Arthur’s latest plan to escape appears to work and he tentatively walks towards De Anima, the boat which is his only means of leaving the island. Another cruel twist, however, interrupts and the strength of this psychological thriller is still in play.

The plot centres more and more around Arthur’s need to get away from Codelle than the grief counselling itself, and the reader wills him on to the dramatic end which awaits.

Anderson has created a compelling read which explores complex themes: love and grief, addiction and morality. It is both poignant and thought-provoking: how far would you go?


The Grief Doctor is published by Raven Books