Code White

by Debra Anderson

Alex wakes up in a psychiatric ward covered in mud, with no memory of how she got there. Detailing her life after a sudden manic episode, Alex reports the often hilariously bizarre details of her days while trapped on the inside. Stubbornly insisting on control, Alex scopes her ward-mates, skirmishes with the staff for information on her treatment, and stays true to her high-femme identity. Alex is a witty, neurotic narrator, negotiating dyke drama on both sides of the locked doors, and seducing characters and readers with the machinations of her lively, complex mind.

Code White is an innovative story of psychiatric confinement, rippling with sardonic humour, sexual tension, and rebellious honesty, in a setting that often lacks all three.

Genres: Lesbian, Fiction, Queer, Mental Health, Feminism, Canada, Disability

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2005

About the author

An award-winning writer, playwright, and filmmaker, Debra Anderson is the recipient of the Writers' Trust of Canada's prestigious third annual Dayne Ogilvie Grant for an emerging gay Canadian author for a body of work. She is a graduate of the York University Creative Writing Program. Her novel, Code White was supported by the Ontario Arts Council Writers' Reserve Program and the work of her current work-in-progress has been supported by both the Ontario Arts Council Writers' Works in Progress Grant and the Ontario Arts Council Writers' Reserve Program.

Reviews

[Adam Hodgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read a few short stories by her and really liked them, and I was excited to read her first novel. Depiction of mental illness that rings really true, beautiful detail in the writting. Can't wait to read more of her stuff.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

OMG I got as far as page 122 and had to stop. Painfully repetitious. Could not go any further.