Imprint
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Music, Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), Psychology, Medical ethics & professional conduct, Mental health services
A devastating novel about voice-hearing - 'A brilliant and necessary book' Douglas Stuart, author of the Booker Prize-winning SHUGGIE BAIN
'Astonishing' Stephen Fry
'Exceptional' Douglas Stuart, author of the Booker Prize-winning SHUGGIE BAIN
'Now is the time for this book' DBC Pierre, author of the Booker Prize-winning VERNON GOD LITTLE
'Funny. Disturbing. Brilliant' Lily Allen
Funny, smart, damaged, Tom is lost in the machinery of the British mental health system, talking to a voice no one else can hear; the voice of Malamock, the Octopus God - sometimes loving, sometimes cruel, but always there to fill his life with meaning. Once an outstanding law student, Tom is now cared for by his long-suffering sister Tess, who encourages him into an experimental drugs trial that promises to silence the voice forever. The Octopus God, however, does not take kindly to being threatened...
Deeply moving and tragi-comic, The Octopus Man is a bravura literary performance that asks fundamental questions about belief and love.
Praise for The Octopus Man
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Funny. Disturbing. Brilliant
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The Octopus Man reminds us that behind the words "mental health" lies a universe of wild creativity, humanity, and spanking big life. A beautiful thing, this is The Dharma Bums meet Clozapine. Now is the time for this book
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What a brilliant and necessary book. A funny, heart-expanding story of a man trapped between the God-like voice in his head and society's desire for him to be 'normal.' It's a deeply compassionate portrait and I felt the frustration of battling a broken mental healthcare system, and the guilt and hope of everyone who loves poor, cheeky, troubled Tom and wants so badly for him to get better
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The Octopus Man was a joy to read. I cried with laughter and I just plain cried. It is one of the wittiest and most humane pictures of a person and their mind - a timely conversation about mental health from within the perspective of the subject. It's a beautiful book and so incredibly funny. It was astounding to me how funny it was sometimes. - Johnny Flynn
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