‘A masterfully told, character-driven novel that will have you laughing and crying in equal measures’ THE AUSTRALIAN

‘A deeply empathetic, humanising portrait of a mental health facility, and the souls that pass through it’ THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S WEEKLY

‘Stunning . . . [A] unique novel that’s so timely’ DAILY TELEGRAPH

Psychiatry registrar Doctor Hannah Wright, a country girl with a chaotic history, thought she had seen it all in the emergency room. But that was nothing compared to the psychiatric ward at Menzies Hospital.

Hannah must learn on the job as she and her fellow trainees deal with the common and the bizarre, the hilarious and the tragic, the treatable and the confronting. Each day brings new patients: Chloe, who has a life-threatening eating disorder; Sian, suffering postpartum psychosis and fighting to keep her baby; and Xavier, the MP whose suicide attempt masks an explosive story. With intelligence, frankness and humour, eminent psychiatrist Anne Buist tells it like it is, while Graeme Simsion brings the light touch that made The Rosie Project an international bestseller.

‘Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion explore mental illness with wit and wisdom’ SUNDAY AGE

‘Contains all the comforting trappings of a fast-paced medical procedural’ SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

‘Casts a non-judgemental but candid, informed and astute eye on the system . . . It arouses our sympathy and empathy, develops our understanding and increases our knowledge in areas long kept hidden or decreed taboo. And it’s a darn good read’ LIVING ARTS CANBERRA

‘A racy, pacy ride through heartbreak and the occasional breathtaking miracle’ COUNTRY STYLE

‘An absorbing read that you’ll want to stay up late to finish’ INSTYLE AUSTRALIA

‘A remarkable expose . . . told with an engaging, light touch reminiscent of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Simsion’s The Rosie Project’ BOOKS + PUBLISHING

‘Highly engaging. Brings alive the frontline of mental health care’ PROFESSOR PATRICK MCGORRY AO, AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR 2010

‘Entertaining, enlightening, it embraces the complexity of what it means to be human’ MEREDITH JAFFE

‘A great read that combines laugh-out-loud moments with those that bring tears to your eyes. Anne Buist skilfully writes from her own experiences and co-author Graeme Simsion adds his inimitable Rosie Project style. An honest, sensitive look into mental health care in Australia’ PROFESSOR JAYASHRI KULKARNI AM, Psychiatrist, Monash University

‘Gripping, rich a

Author Biography

Anne Buist (Author)

Professor Anne Buist is chair of Women’s Mental Health at the University of Melbourne and the architect of the national screening program for perinatal depression. She began writing at eight but medicine intervened until 2015 when she wrote Medea’s Curse, the first of five psychological crime novels. The internationally bestselling Two Steps Forward, co-authored with her husband, Graeme Simsion, was optioned to Fox Searchlight / Disney, along with its sequel, Two Steps Onward. She is co-author of the Menzies Mental Health series (The Glass House, The Oasis, The General Hospital) with Graeme.

Graeme Simsion (Author)

Dr Graeme Simsion is the author of the widely acclaimed novel The Rosie Project, which spent 65 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and, with its two sequels, has sold seven million copies in forty languages. A film is in development with Sony Pictures. The Best of Adam Sharp, also an international bestseller, is in development with New Sparta Pictures and Creative Differences was optioned to Truce Films. Graeme is co-author of the bestselling Menzies Mental Health series with his wife, Anne Buist.