The Treatment and the Cure

by Peter Kocan

"A little masterpiece, not only in the history of prison literature, but in that of literature itself."- The Bulletin Len Tarbutt is serving a life sentence for attempted homicide. After a brief period in jail, he is transferred to the maximum-security ward of a mental hospital, where moments of absurdity and anarchy will remind readers of Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest . But The Treatment and its award-winning sequel, The Cure , form a single story that pulses with darker and more disquieting undertones. It is a compelling, disturbing, and often humorous account of one man's fight to survive incarceration.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Clive Parkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have taught as a prison lit unit, alongside Shawshank Redemption

[Steve Shilstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Australian Cuckoo's Nest.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

What makes this book most saddening, hilarious, and ultimately touching is the fact that it is based on factual happenings. The author is describing scenes of his past with different names attached to people and places. Of course there's bound to be changes, embellishments and perhaps playing-downs of certain events but nonetheless it's still an affecting thought to have on the mind while reading.

At times it reminded me of 'The Shawshank Redemption', namely of the old man who was changed by the system that he'd been locked into, institutionalized. This is because all the way through the book the main character has to doubt everything he does twice, he has to imagine himself from the view of other people, in order to make the best decision for himself. It's almost as he's playing a precarious and dangerous game with the dangerous, often psychopathic, sadistic nurses and staff. There are parts where he imagines whole conversations that span over the length of several pages. Although it's a good idea for Len to be thinking extensively about the causes and effects of his actions, it still seemed to me that no matter how he looked at it he was playing and losing. For example he worried at one point about seeming withdrawn and being dished out some shock-treatment, so he decided to interact with staff more; but then he realized that if he overdid it he could come across as acting erratically, and so be treated with shocks. He tows a painful constant line with different, but similar stimuli.

It is questionable whether many of patients of the hospitals and wards should have been where they were. There is a stark contrast between the pasts, the violent actions of the patients, and the behaviour of them toward Len. This is seen in the main character too. He says at one point "When I was going insane", and "When I was insane": implying that in present time he is no longer insane; and I don't think he was ever insane in the book. One of the main problems with dealing with people having brief stints with insanity is in not being able to know for sure how long the loss of sanity will last for, and if and when it'll come back. Many of the characters that he gets to know want to become integrated back into society, but have given up hope completely because of the way they've been estranged from it by the alienating rehabilitation system they are part of. There's an occurrence which keeps popping up in the words and actions of the patients that is notable - they have great hopes for a better future, yet have it dashed decisively by the machinations of the people that preside over them. It's a wonder that the author was able to get out of such a system, alive and sane at all. At many points I figured that if someone went into these places sane, they could very well become insane during their stay.

The main idea that was drilled into me was that if people are to have such power over people's lives, then they should be people that have the virtues of compassion, caring, understanding, thoughtfulness and professionalism.

[Anna Hepworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my 2016 (and on) reading challenge--the one where I asked people to recommend something that I should have read that I might not have encountered. This was recommended by a friend of a friend, who was too shy to post on my Facebook wall.

This is in no way a nice book. Written by an author with an intimate knowledge of the setting -- institutions for the criminally insane -- one presumes that the level of detail is accurate, although whether it is poetically exaggerated, condensed in time scale, or just presented as a highlights reel might be left to the reader to work out. There are few, if any, sympathetic characters, and there are aspects of the language use that have fallen out of favour, and as such I found threw me the first few times because they felt forced -- as if the author was including them for shock value.

The book consists of two novellas which were originally published separately in Australia, but bound together for the overseas market. Both novellas are written predominantly in the second person, a conceit which I would usually argue doesn't have the narrative strength for a piece such as this, but which works well, as it brings the unpleasantness closer, makes it more visceral. Early in the book I found it difficult to accept that the setting was the 1970s*, as some of the aspects of the treatment of the inmates feels more in keeping with material set earlier. This is presumably related to my lack of knowledge, rather than anything else, given that my learning about such treatments occurred in the mid-1990s. But there is extensive use of electro-shock therapy, to quite unpleasant levels (and with significant non-consent from the patients), a practice that I believed had not lasted to that degree quite so late.

Is it a good book? Yes. Do I appreciate having read it? Yes. Did I enjoy it/want to recommend it to people? Not sure.
But if one wants to get a feel for the treatment and (lack of) understanding that psychiatric patients (and in this case, this includes individuals with significant intellectual disability as well) received, this is a much better choice than, say, the voyeuristic book by Oliver Sacks that I also read.

* and I'm still not convinced. I'd need to check, but the publication date is 1980, in which case the setting must be at most the 1970s, and might be the 1960s, which might work better in with both my understanding and my prejudices.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A horrowing book when I thought that places like this only existed in the 18th century! Not dwelling on what brought him there, Peter writes a true account of his life while incarcerated in the State mental hospital, rehab, and prison. His description of not only his own thoughts and feelings but that of his "mates", truly brings to life his "normalacy" in the face of extreme barbarianism. This many went on to obtain his Masters Degree, and have several other books published, a few of poetry. Poetry, both written and read, seems to have been his salvation while in the hospital. An accomplished writer that provided a good insight into how people that are supposed to be helping them, abuse their power.

[Renay · Rating 2 out of 5]

the threatment and the cure are supposedly an award winning literary masterpiece, instead, i found this book to be quite interesting, but certainly not a masterpiece of literary wonder.
the blurb suggested it was going to be a more interesting read than it was. after taking at least a few chapters to "get used" to the style of writing, i enjoyed the book enough to continue reading it to the end, and gained some insight into the life of a psychiatric inmate. i thought the grammar was a little hard to follow and erratic, but thethoughts it described wereinteresting.
i would not bother to read it again, and in fact will probably send it back to the op - shop that i found it.

[Nonie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Len Tarbutt (19) and serving a life sentence is transferred to maximum security ward of mental hospital in Australia. This is the story of Tarbutt's efforts to survive the system and preserve his individuality. The author himself was a survivor of just such a system. The story is raw in it's treatment of the mental facility but uplifting of one man's ability to survive.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

NoBSBookReviews

[Colin Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in year 12 (1997) and remember loving it. I must read it again and it may prove to me that it deserves the extra star I was going to give it.