What do you think?
Rate this book
Seacliff, a Regular Boy Within.
1926-54. When his mother died, Malcolm, at 6 years old, became one of the 'lost' children, those forgotten or abandoned by their families. He grew up mirroring many of the mannerisms of the other children, while knowing he was different from them. His young life was spent in SEACLIFF MENTAL HOSPITAL. Malcolm's story is of immeasurable sadness, when considering the tragedy and abuse of his wasted earlier life, and yet, with an admirable strength, courage and innate resilience, he ultimately rose above it all, and was able to 'free the regular boy within' as he had always wanted - (Wheeler blurb)
ebook
Published March 22, 2013
106 people want to read
About the author
Susan Tarr
9 books151 followersWhat a life I have had so far!
I arrived on the shores of Kenya, East Africa, in a 28ft yacht, and traveled Europe from there. While in Kenya, I contracted cerebral meningitis from swimming in foul water, off the side of the yacht. That stopped me in my tracks for many years. And I had 2 emergency Caesarians, one without anaesthetic. Whilst in Kenya, I was arrested for treason...but that's another story. I came home to NZ because my youngest daughter was paralyzed. But I couldn't get my Anna out of Kenya because she was not on a passport. So with the NZ embassy, we contrived a passport for her, flew it to Switzerland via AirNZ, where a pilot carried it into Kenya. Little Anna was waiting at Nairobi airport with a glue stick and a passport pic. Once we'd settled back in New Zealand, we traveled to USA since we then owned an international yacht charter and motor home company with bases and boats in Fiji, Tonga, Australia and NZ. So much stuff I could put in a book but so little time...
Writing in several different genres comes naturally to me. I tend to have several books on the go at any one time, so I can flip-flop between them when the mood takes me.
I arrived on the shores of Kenya, East Africa, in a 28ft yacht, and traveled Europe from there. While in Kenya, I contracted cerebral meningitis from swimming in foul water, off the side of the yacht. That stopped me in my tracks for many years. And I had 2 emergency Caesarians, one without anaesthetic. Whilst in Kenya, I was arrested for treason...but that's another story. I came home to NZ because my youngest daughter was paralyzed. But I couldn't get my Anna out of Kenya because she was not on a passport. So with the NZ embassy, we contrived a passport for her, flew it to Switzerland via AirNZ, where a pilot carried it into Kenya. Little Anna was waiting at Nairobi airport with a glue stick and a passport pic. Once we'd settled back in New Zealand, we traveled to USA since we then owned an international yacht charter and motor home company with bases and boats in Fiji, Tonga, Australia and NZ. So much stuff I could put in a book but so little time...
Writing in several different genres comes naturally to me. I tend to have several books on the go at any one time, so I can flip-flop between them when the mood takes me.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 28, 2014
EDIT: This book has been published in the USA under the title:
PHENOMENA the Lost and Forgotten Children
Publishing date 2014, January, 19
Malcolm lost everything in life when his mom died and his dad abandoned him at the train station. As trauma after trauma manifested in this young boy's life, his brain closed off the section when his memories became too much to handle. As a result he became more quiet and eventually stop speaking altogether. He had to endure terrible odds to survive, but had the presence of mind to know what was actually happening with- and around him. He was admitted to the Seacliff Asylum, which later would be named Seacliff Mental Hospital. It was also known as the Loony Bin or Booby Hatch, where "Malcolm gleaned that mad people shouldn’t speak. It only caused trouble and more work. They should sit and be quiet. Quietly mad. They lived in a world full of silent people in The Building – that’s what the hospital was called.
He suffered and witnessed the aftermath of experimental treatments, including the embarrassing concept of Eugenics, on people and at one point decided to take control of his own destiny by hiding his medicines in his pocket seams and not drinking it in the hope of improving his memory, which were constantly destroyed by The Treatment. With all The Treatments they had to endure through the years, and all the medicines fed to them to calm them all down, the 'inmates' lost their mind altogether. A little voice in him encouraged him to fight back his own silent way.
Seacliff Lunatic Asylum
The book is not only a commemoration of the historical building, Seacliff Lunatic Asylum in New Zealand, but also a detailed description of the lives and characters who graced it with their presence as either the 'rejects' of society, or the staff who worked there for many years. The characters are so endearing, I almost felt like going to them and say "I am so sorry society treated you this way".
The story winds through the historical facts with ease and a gripping tale is introduced to the reader. The tale is very well written.
This book reminds me of the movie "One flew over the Cuckoo's nest" , which also had me laughing and crying. Eventually Malcolm's spirit would triumph and in his case it became a celebration, after confirmation, of hope which never died:
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." --(Movie quote from: The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Andy Defresne (Tim Robbins)
What an amazing story!
Malcolm lost everything in life when his mom died and his dad abandoned him at the train station. As trauma after trauma manifested in this young boy's life, his brain closed off the section when his memories became too much to handle. As a result he became more quiet and eventually stop speaking altogether. He had to endure terrible odds to survive, but had the presence of mind to know what was actually happening with- and around him. He was admitted to the Seacliff Asylum, which later would be named Seacliff Mental Hospital. It was also known as the Loony Bin or Booby Hatch, where "Malcolm gleaned that mad people shouldn’t speak. It only caused trouble and more work. They should sit and be quiet. Quietly mad. They lived in a world full of silent people in The Building – that’s what the hospital was called.
He suffered and witnessed the aftermath of experimental treatments, including the embarrassing concept of Eugenics, on people and at one point decided to take control of his own destiny by hiding his medicines in his pocket seams and not drinking it in the hope of improving his memory, which were constantly destroyed by The Treatment. With all The Treatments they had to endure through the years, and all the medicines fed to them to calm them all down, the 'inmates' lost their mind altogether. A little voice in him encouraged him to fight back his own silent way.
Seacliff Lunatic Asylum
The book is not only a commemoration of the historical building, Seacliff Lunatic Asylum in New Zealand, but also a detailed description of the lives and characters who graced it with their presence as either the 'rejects' of society, or the staff who worked there for many years. The characters are so endearing, I almost felt like going to them and say "I am so sorry society treated you this way".
The story winds through the historical facts with ease and a gripping tale is introduced to the reader. The tale is very well written.
This book reminds me of the movie "One flew over the Cuckoo's nest" , which also had me laughing and crying. Eventually Malcolm's spirit would triumph and in his case it became a celebration, after confirmation, of hope which never died:
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." --(Movie quote from: The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Andy Defresne (Tim Robbins)
What an amazing story!
September 18, 2013
The first thing which comes into my mind regarding Susan Tarr’s book is that I’ve never read something like it. It’s not an average prototype of fiction, with its usual genres and formulas. It’s the unique story – inspired by true people and facts – of a little boy’s terrible experience of growing in a mental hospital. Unlike the other patients there, Malcom had never fit in and struggled to keep his normality in a heart and mind-wrenching environment. The story has a depth that could only come from life experience, from knowledge of the human psychology and behavior. Although the first part is sad and introduces shocking and depressing aspects of the treatments and life imposed to mental hospitals’ patients , the author skillfully manages to sprinkle some humor in the darkest situations. The ending is unexpected, with a twist that makes the reader think it was all worth it and start reading it again.
A great book from a great author!
A great book from a great author!
February 5, 2014
I love this book. I loved researching it. I loved interviewing older people for it. And I loved writing it. Having worked in various mental hospitals for many years, along with most of my family, we had a wealth of knowledge to share about what most probably did happen.
Where this novel differs, is in the humour. Because it is such dark subject matter I felt strongly that there had to be some levity in it. You simply had to have a lot of stuff to break that up because nobody wants to read something that’s just desperately miserable.
Where this novel differs, is in the humour. Because it is such dark subject matter I felt strongly that there had to be some levity in it. You simply had to have a lot of stuff to break that up because nobody wants to read something that’s just desperately miserable.
September 23, 2013
I enjoyed this book very much, mainly because I personally know how accurate it is regarding many details of the life in a mental hospital. The books is very introspective, but far from depressing, and, as the cover artfully suggests, reveals some of the puzzle pieces of that marvelous labyrinth - the human mind. All the feelings, thoughts, facts are put into words skilfully, finding the perfect balance between simple and complex, fiction and reality. Readers of any level could enjoy it, just the simple surface story, or the depth that lies underneath it.
I would recommend this book to all those who like reading, no matter what genre, because there's much more to learn from it than from a psychological anthology!
I would recommend this book to all those who like reading, no matter what genre, because there's much more to learn from it than from a psychological anthology!
September 20, 2013
This book is amazing; it is honestly different. As the author says, she's put true stories into a fictionalised format - the result is a highly readable description of a slice of life few people were privy to - the 'bin', the mental hospital, the 'asylum'. But interwoven into the historical descriptions (a few actually funny, more unbearably sad) is the story of Malcolm. What happens to a child who has had no parenting? A child who is exposed to institutionalisation? A child whose stimulation is all wrong? A child who is not allowed to grow up? Read Seacliff: A Regular Boy Within and many of these questions are answered. Don't come with any preconceptions....
January 29, 2014
Phenomena: the Lost and Forgotten Children is the new title (now published in the USA) of 'Seacliff: a Regular Boy Within' (published originally in New Zealand) which I reviewed some time ago. This is what I said:
This book is amazing; it is honestly different. As the author says, she's put true stories into a fictionalised format - the result is a highly readable description of a slice of life few people were privy to - the 'bin', the mental hospital, the 'asylum'. But interwoven into the historical descriptions (a few actually funny, more unbearably sad) is the story of Malcolm. What happens to a child who has had no parenting? A child who is exposed to institutionalisation? A child whose stimulation is all wrong? A child who is not allowed to grow up? Read ‘Phenomena: The Lost and Forgotten Children’ and many of these questions are answered. Don't come with any preconceptions....
This book is amazing; it is honestly different. As the author says, she's put true stories into a fictionalised format - the result is a highly readable description of a slice of life few people were privy to - the 'bin', the mental hospital, the 'asylum'. But interwoven into the historical descriptions (a few actually funny, more unbearably sad) is the story of Malcolm. What happens to a child who has had no parenting? A child who is exposed to institutionalisation? A child whose stimulation is all wrong? A child who is not allowed to grow up? Read ‘Phenomena: The Lost and Forgotten Children’ and many of these questions are answered. Don't come with any preconceptions....
September 12, 2013
Fascinating for me because I can visualise so many of the places mentioned. Sad picture of the lives of the mentally ill or simply "difficult" people who were shuffled out of sight behind Seacliff's walls.
December 18, 2016
Lying sick in bed, I finished this book in a few hours. This should tell you two things about the book: It was (i) engaging and (ii) an easy read.
The book exposes institutionalisation in a very subtle way. Short sentences. Fleeting thoughts of a mentally challenged person. Disconnection interspersed with meaning. It gave me goosebumps - not because I have never heard or read about institutionalisation and the stigmatisation of mentally ill. No, not at all. Instead, it was reading the book and then identifying all the anecdotal stories that I still hear from people, in the media and newspapers. Suffice to say, my attic of memories was in chaos.
This book is a reminder that we still have a long fight ahead of us.
As Dumbledore says:
“There will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.”
The book exposes institutionalisation in a very subtle way. Short sentences. Fleeting thoughts of a mentally challenged person. Disconnection interspersed with meaning. It gave me goosebumps - not because I have never heard or read about institutionalisation and the stigmatisation of mentally ill. No, not at all. Instead, it was reading the book and then identifying all the anecdotal stories that I still hear from people, in the media and newspapers. Suffice to say, my attic of memories was in chaos.
This book is a reminder that we still have a long fight ahead of us.
As Dumbledore says:
“There will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.”
August 10, 2016
This book is set in New Zealand, though the story it tells might well have occurred in many other countries.
Through no fault of his own, Malcolm is put into a mental institution where he spends his most formative years – from small child to middle-age.
The reader can not remain unmoved by his situation, yet the skill of the Author means one isn’t overcome by thoughts of blame and recrimination – rather, the story that is revealed is one of humanity throughout. In the end it is not so much the horrors inflicted on Malcolm that remain in one’s mind, but admiration for the character who endured and, against the odds, managed to emerge from a seemingly inescapable situation.
Well worth reading.
Through no fault of his own, Malcolm is put into a mental institution where he spends his most formative years – from small child to middle-age.
The reader can not remain unmoved by his situation, yet the skill of the Author means one isn’t overcome by thoughts of blame and recrimination – rather, the story that is revealed is one of humanity throughout. In the end it is not so much the horrors inflicted on Malcolm that remain in one’s mind, but admiration for the character who endured and, against the odds, managed to emerge from a seemingly inescapable situation.
Well worth reading.
January 28, 2014
I love this book. I loved researching it. I loved interviewing older people for it. And I loved writing it. Having worked in various mental hospitals for many years, along with most of my family, we had a wealth of knowledge to share about what most probably did happen.
Where this novel differs, is in the humour. Because it is such dark subject matter I felt strongly that there had to be some levity in it. You simply had to have a lot of stuff to break that up because nobody wants to read something that’s just desperately miserable.
Where this novel differs, is in the humour. Because it is such dark subject matter I felt strongly that there had to be some levity in it. You simply had to have a lot of stuff to break that up because nobody wants to read something that’s just desperately miserable.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews