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Description edit
Faces in the Water is a novel as wide and deep and unexpected as madness itself. It is about confinement in mental institutions, about the fear the 'sane' have of the 'mad' and the ways in which that fear banishes and punishes those whose reaction to a truly cruel and insane world is to move... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- Istina Mavet: The main character and narrator
- Sister Bridge: Add a description of this character.
- Dr Portman
- Dr Trace
First Sentence edit
They have said that we owe allegiance to Safety, that he is our Red Cross who will provide us with ointment and bandages for our wounds and remove the foreign ideas the glass beads of fantasy the bent hairpins of unreason embedded in our minds.
Themes & Symbolism edit
- Fantasy or imagination are dangerous: Dangerous to whom? Society deems it dangerous for the patients in the hospital, but Istina knows that they also dangerous to society.
- Safety: Istina's ironic terms for the structures and expectations of society, and "common sense". Safety, for her, is dangerous, as it exposes her to a cruel and insane world that doesn't understand her.
Series & Lists edit
This is book 447 of 1272 in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. (authoritative list)
Preceded by A Severed Head, and followed by Solaris.
Authors & Contributors edit
- Janet Frame (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Pegasus Press
Country: New Zealand
Publication Date: 1961
ISBN: Add the ISBN.
Page Count: 254
Publisher: Pegasus Press
Country: New Zealand
Publication Date: 1961
ISBN: Add the ISBN.
Page Count: 254
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 813
Subjects edit
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