A moving story of where mental issues can lead you in thoses dangerous days of WWII in Germany. Inga is trying to save her sister from the clutches of the disease and then from euthanasia. The consequences result in silence, secrets and their psychological repercussions on later generations' own mental issues. Very compelling, the book has two timelines making the reader getting very closed to the characters and feel qith them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Thank you Sylvia for letting me read this book for free on NetGalley.

This book is based on the inter links between two generations of the same family. I shows how the hidden family history can appear in later generations that have also been affected by the social history of the time. I found the book difficult to get into and at times slow moving. However, I was pleased by the ending, which I found satisfying.

This is a true story based on the author's family and their experience of mental health during the war and also in 1984.. It is beautifully written and I would definitely recommend this as a great read.

I found myself drawn to the main characters in this book that follow Inga, Rigmor and Sabine in their quest to understand and treat mental illness. Although the subject matter is difficult, the way in which this story is told is also about strength, love and hope. The story revolves around Rigmor, who suffers with depression in 1934 during Nazi Germany and also of Sabine in 1984. The story jumps from one generation to the other throughout, offering the reader the chance to link together the two different experiences and allows you to really feel the emotion of both stories throughout.

It never fails to shock me, however many books I read about Nazi Germany the horrendous, heinous way that people were treated and I did wonder what this book would offer that is different to others. The author has written this true story about her family and she has done this so well. I genuinely felt the emotions that Inga must have felt, the desperation of wanting to help her sister and doing everything in her power to do so and also the feeling of helplessness and guilt and how this affected generations to follow.

Definitely worth a read.

3 1/2 stars... I really liked the premise of those story and the parallel storylines, generations apart; however I found the characters to be not very like able especially Inga. I felt throughout the whole book she never actually cared about anyone else in the world except herself and maybe at some time, her sister. Every way the book tried to show inga caring about someone else was really about how it would benefit Inga and what she would gain from it. I wish there had been more about Rigmor’s mental health and even the description of symptoms only touched the surface as was also the case with Sabine. This book just left me wanting more of the story and I felt the author focused on details that were not relevant instead of things that could have had more relevance.

"Where Madness Lies" is a compelling story of family and history that weaves together experiences from two different points in time. Inga's struggle to heal and protect her mentally ill sister as the Nazis rise to power in Germany is mirrored years later—though under much different circumstances—as she tries to support her granddaughter who has just admitted herself to a mental hospital in Massachusetts. The story jumps back and forth in time (between 1934/1984) as we slowly learn the events of the past and how they have influenced the future.

There's so much heart depicted in the relationships and a compelling depth to all the characters, even those that could be considered secondary or tertiary to the main plot. I would highly recommend this book—it speaks not only to the horrors of the Holocaust and eugenics; it forces the reader to grapple with questions of ethics and complicity. At what point do your actions (or inaction) make you complicit? What secrets do you/should you keep to protect those around you?

It's not a light read, but an important one. And it's especially compelling knowing that this fictionalized account is based on events from the author's life.

A gripping book, all the more so because it is based on the experiences of the author's own family.
This book serves as a reminder of just how persuasive Nazi propaganda was to many, and the evils that were enacted in the quest to create the master race. The extermination (or in the words of the propaganda 'disinfection') of anyone who did not fit the ideals is hard to comprehend, but it happened.
The other facet of the story is around the inheritance of mental illness - early genetic theories are touched on, as is the difference between the treatment of mental health problems now and then. Although much has changed and treatments are now humane and often effective, the stigma surrounding mental illness remains for many - a topic dealt with well in the book.
A really thought-provoking read.

I found Where Madness Lies to be a fascinating read dealing with clinical depression and other mental health issues and the view over the decades. The atrocities of the Nazis against the mentality ill, while known as fact, were personalized. The book shows even in 45 years how some of the fallacies were (and are) part of our societies make up, giving a great deal of points to ponder. The characters are well rounded and relatable.
This book may be difficult for some readers, but is well worth the time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 3
Pace: 3
Plot development: 3
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

Sylvia True's <I>Where Madness Lies</I> is an intergenerational look at mental illness focusing on Germany in the 1930's and America in the 1980's. Two women are struggling with long-term mental health issues that go undiagnosed, but ultimately find themselves in mental health institutions. Rigmor is a young Jewish woman who comes from a family of great wealth, but their money cannot heal her problems. She has a domineering mother, an absent father, and a sister who is determined to heal her. She ultimately finds herself hospitalized at Sonnenstein, an asylum at a time in Germany that it was not good to be considered "mentally defective" or Jewish. Sabine is a young, new mother in the Boston area who voluntarily admits herself to McLean Hospital, a well-known mental health facility when she finds herself in a deep depression. She does not realize that admitting herself with separate her young daughter from her. Linking these two women is Inga, who is Rigmor's sister and Sabine's grandmother. Inga tries to make amends and right wrongs with Sabine that she was unable to do for her sister.

True's book allows the reader to learn about an area of German history that one may not know a lot about. Treatment of mentally ill individuals in Germany was not as well publicized as other Nazi atrocities, and it is interesting to read how ideas around eugenics and sterilization lead to a final solution over time. She also highlights how trauma can be passed through generations, both genetically, and through the environment. The reader is able to witness it through four generations.

Thank you to John Hunt Publishing Ltd and NetGalley for providing me with this advance copy for review.