I couldn't get through this title. It ended up not being for me, but I hope it finds a hope with other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Painful and haunting account of a woman trying to hold on to her memories and sense of self while being locked up in a psych award and being submitted to electroshock therapy.
I hadn‘t realized when I requested this, that she is the former wife of Karl Ove Knausgaard. It actually sparked my interest to read his struggle series and hear from his side, since he has been criticized for the way he portrays people close to him.
I am fascinated by mental health books and memoirs in general and have read a lot about bipolar disorder. This did not disappoint and it did manage to move me as well. I like her lack of fatalism and victimhood while retelling past events and this makes her a more reliable and honest narrator in my view.
It won’t be for everyone, but if any of this sound interesting to you, I‘d definitely recommend giving it a go!

*read via Netgalley

For four years writer and poet Linda Boström Knausgård was periodically treated for bipolar disorder with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) At the same time she was going through a divorce while also separated from her four young children. In October Child she gives a frank account of her time spent in a psychiatric ward and the therapy’s side-effects. The result is a literary memoir which is brutally honest, at times unexpectedly humorous and beautifully written.

Full review: https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2021/07/01/october-child-linda-bostrom-knausgard/

Translated by Saskia Vogel (again, I ask Netgalley to feature the translator’s name prominently, please)

So, this book is a big deal in Sweden and it’s just been translated into English.

It was brought to my attention on the World Editions newsletter (check out this publisher if you’re interested in translated books that you might not otherwise come across). It sounded interesting and the blurb was really hyping it.

The writer spent much of the time between 2013 and 2017 in psychiatric facilities getting controversial electroconvulsive, resulting in memory loss. Could she still be a writer without her memories? Is she a good mother?

I didn’t enjoy the book. Although perhaps given the subject matter it’s not a book to be enjoyed. I found it difficult to follow as the author moves from one thought to another – childhood memories, moments from her marriage – there is relatively little about the psychiatric treatment in fact. It all seemed rather lacking in context.

I was confused as to why this book seemed to be promising a sensation. I expected some kind of expose of the psychiatric treatment perhaps. However, the point of this book became clearer when I realised that the author is the ex-wife of Karl Ove Knausgård, the Norwegian author famous for the controversial ‘auto-fiction’ novels detailing his personal relationships. The native success of this memoir appears to down to the Swedish public’s desire to get the wife’s side of the story.

Finally, if this is a memoir, why does this copyright page state that it’s a work of fiction and any similarity with real people is purely coincidental? I know she changed her children’s names but now it makes me wonder if all the details are true?

This was a very short book, it promised a spotlight on psychiatric care in Sweden and the author was brave to share her experience, but it fails to add much to the discussion.

The translation seems to very well done with no awkward phrasing and reads very naturally.

Thank you NetGalley and World Editions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Psychiatric hospitals and the use of ECT is fascinating to me. But it was a slog to read and I'm not sure if it's just because it was translated or something else. I admire her for the courage to write this book and expose her ECT experiences. I think I would've liked it more if there was more structure to the story and chapter breaks.

Translated from Swedish, the author describes electroconvulsive therapy in Sweden and its horrendous effects on her. Banned in some countries, the controversial treatment is used more in Sweden than anywhere else in the world. Understandably, many of those who oppose it believe it causes brain damage. Also detailed is her dysfunctional childhood, marriage, children and divorce (what she remembers as chunks are missing due to therapy) and writing.

The author explains the cold and clinical details of the actual treatment from the mouth guard to the muscle relaxant IV to the mindless numbed state of the "sleepers". She also describes the care workers' personalities, wandering hallways and being zoned out completely. Staff kept treatment hushed and if anything backfired the fault was that of the patient. Though she desired to be a good wife and mother, her marriage suffered greatly as she was in and out of treatment frequently; otherwise she wasn't present. She couldn't be. She questions the therapy's validity as well as her own. Her disconcerting mental health issues are described in minute detail in a detached yet introspective manner.

Though this is a heartbreaking read, it is highly informative and thoughtfully written. I learned a lot about a very difficult topic.

My sincere thank you to World Editions and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this fascinating and sobering book.

A well-written, gripping piece of autofiction that delves delicately into the subject of mental health; touching, albeit a bit redundant.