All in the Mind (novel)
Encyclopedia
All in the Mind is a 2008 novel by Alastair Campbell
, the former Director of Communications and Strategy
for the British Prime Minister
Tony Blair
. The book is Campbell's debut novel
and draws heavily on his own experiences of depression and alcoholism
. The story concerns a few days in the life of a psychiatrist
, and a selection of his patients. Campbell has admitted that the story is partly autobiographical, although in an article in The Times
on 30 October 2008 he wrote, '. . . though it is by me, it is not about me, at least not all of it.' The book received a mixed reception.
through its central character, Professor Martin Sturrock, described as ‘widely viewed as one of the best psychiatrists in the business’, and several of his patients. Among these are an alcoholic politician, a traumatised burns victim, a depressed manual worker, an adulterous barrister turned fitness fanatic and a Kosovan refugee who has been raped. Each patient tells his or her story in a consultation with Sturrock before they are later revisited in their individual subplots. Over the course of a weekend it becomes apparent that the brilliant but overworked Sturrock is as desperate for help as the people he is treating, and following an encounter in a seedy brothel
the story ends tragically for the Professor on a busy London
street.
by then Labour
leader Neil Kinnock
. He was detained by the police for his own safety after being observed behaving oddly. During a stay as an inpatient at the BMI hospital
in Glasgow he was given medication to calm him, and realised that he had an alcohol problem after seeing the psychiatrist. He later returned to England where his condition continued with a phase of depression.
As he recovered from the breakdown he began work on a story about a pop star driven to the point of breakdown by a Conservative
government press secretary, and after making handwritten notes during a holiday in France, he word processed them when he returned home. However, the file containing the book was accidentally erased. He did not revisit the novel again until he was recording a 2008 BBC
documentary about his breakdown.
His inspiration for All in the Mind came while cycling past a cemetery in Golders Green
where a funeral was in progress. In 2008 Campbell wrote, 'There seemed to be hundreds of mourners. I started to think about how many people we all touch in our lives. I started to wonder whether the person being buried knew how many people he had touched. By the time I was home, I had a basic idea, a small number of characters and a couple of possible endings. I started to write that evening.' He went on to say that although none of the events or characters from his previous novel had survived in All in the Mind, many of the themes have. 'The limits of the human mind. Depression. Pressure. Breakdown. Family. Fracturing relationships. Forgiveness.' Campbell has admitted that All in the Mind is autobiographical, '. . . in that all the characters, their words, deeds and backgrounds, are all from somewhere inside my mind, and my mind is a product of my experiences.'
said, ‘I have rarely read a book where the agonies and insecurities of mental trauma have been so well chronicled’. However, Sahmeer Rahmi, writing for the Daily Telegraph took a diametrically opposing view stating, "Because Campbell has spent his life barking orders - broadcasting not receiving - he has none of the skills needed in a novelist: curiosity, observation, interest in the human condition or in another human's opinion other than how it impacts on himself or his career." Byron Rogers of The Spectator
wrote, '. . . whatever the book’s merits as a study of depression, I found it difficult to distinguish between the characters for all the supplied detail, and in the end this was fatal. And it was such a good idea.' Frontier Psychiatrist said, '. . . the plot as a conceit is not a terrible one, but the central problem is that Campbell’s prose basically lacks the dexterity to convincingly render his characters’ mental states on the page."
Alastair Campbell
Alastair John Campbell is a British journalist, broadcaster, political aide and author, best known for his work as Director of Communications and Strategy for Prime Minister Tony Blair between 1997 and 2003, having first started working for Blair in 1994...
, the former Director of Communications and Strategy
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
for the British Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
. The book is Campbell's debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
and draws heavily on his own experiences of depression and alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. The story concerns a few days in the life of a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, and a selection of his patients. Campbell has admitted that the story is partly autobiographical, although in an article in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
on 30 October 2008 he wrote, '. . . though it is by me, it is not about me, at least not all of it.' The book received a mixed reception.
Synopsis
Set over a period of four days, the novel explores mental illnessMental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
through its central character, Professor Martin Sturrock, described as ‘widely viewed as one of the best psychiatrists in the business’, and several of his patients. Among these are an alcoholic politician, a traumatised burns victim, a depressed manual worker, an adulterous barrister turned fitness fanatic and a Kosovan refugee who has been raped. Each patient tells his or her story in a consultation with Sturrock before they are later revisited in their individual subplots. Over the course of a weekend it becomes apparent that the brilliant but overworked Sturrock is as desperate for help as the people he is treating, and following an encounter in a seedy brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
the story ends tragically for the Professor on a busy London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
street.
Background
In 1986, while working as a political correspondent for the Daily Mirror Campbell was admitted to hospital in Scotland, where he had travelled to cover a visit to GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
by then Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
leader Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
. He was detained by the police for his own safety after being observed behaving oddly. During a stay as an inpatient at the BMI hospital
BMI Healthcare
General Healthcare Group PLC is a British healthcare company. It owns BMI Healthcare, the UKs largest private hospital group, and is the major shareholder of CARE Fertility...
in Glasgow he was given medication to calm him, and realised that he had an alcohol problem after seeing the psychiatrist. He later returned to England where his condition continued with a phase of depression.
As he recovered from the breakdown he began work on a story about a pop star driven to the point of breakdown by a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
government press secretary, and after making handwritten notes during a holiday in France, he word processed them when he returned home. However, the file containing the book was accidentally erased. He did not revisit the novel again until he was recording a 2008 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary about his breakdown.
His inspiration for All in the Mind came while cycling past a cemetery in Golders Green
Golders Green
Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Although having some earlier history, it is essentially a 19th century suburban development situated about 5.3 miles north west of Charing Cross and centred on the crossroads of Golders Green Road and Finchley Road.In the...
where a funeral was in progress. In 2008 Campbell wrote, 'There seemed to be hundreds of mourners. I started to think about how many people we all touch in our lives. I started to wonder whether the person being buried knew how many people he had touched. By the time I was home, I had a basic idea, a small number of characters and a couple of possible endings. I started to write that evening.' He went on to say that although none of the events or characters from his previous novel had survived in All in the Mind, many of the themes have. 'The limits of the human mind. Depression. Pressure. Breakdown. Family. Fracturing relationships. Forgiveness.' Campbell has admitted that All in the Mind is autobiographical, '. . . in that all the characters, their words, deeds and backgrounds, are all from somewhere inside my mind, and my mind is a product of my experiences.'
Reaction
Reaction to All in the Mind was mixed. Of the book, The Times said, 'a serious subject addressed with compassion, intelligence and sensitivity...this is an emotionally engaging and thought-provoking book', while the actor Stephen FryStephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
said, ‘I have rarely read a book where the agonies and insecurities of mental trauma have been so well chronicled’. However, Sahmeer Rahmi, writing for the Daily Telegraph took a diametrically opposing view stating, "Because Campbell has spent his life barking orders - broadcasting not receiving - he has none of the skills needed in a novelist: curiosity, observation, interest in the human condition or in another human's opinion other than how it impacts on himself or his career." Byron Rogers of The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
wrote, '. . . whatever the book’s merits as a study of depression, I found it difficult to distinguish between the characters for all the supplied detail, and in the end this was fatal. And it was such a good idea.' Frontier Psychiatrist said, '. . . the plot as a conceit is not a terrible one, but the central problem is that Campbell’s prose basically lacks the dexterity to convincingly render his characters’ mental states on the page."