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Mad Hannah Rafferty
'Mad Hannah Rafferty's deftly written story will remain in the mind long after gaudier and more celebrated fiction has been forgotten' - SUNDAY TIMES.
24-year-old Hannah Rafferty is writing her memoirs on a toilet roll in the lavatory of a mental hospital. She was brought up in Liverpool, England, by her step-mother Stella, the wife of Jack Rafferty, a deluded political visionary who fathered Hannah in an adulterous love-affair. He is a lapsed Catholic and Stella wants to bring him back to the true faith – resulting in a very disharmonious marriage.
Diagnosed with a terminal illness, Jack bequeaths his daughter a political tract he has been writing, expecting her to finish it. Burdened by an unsatisfactory relationship and the tragic death of her baby, she suffers a crippling breakdown.
The deranged Hannah savages a supermarket and sets fire to herself. She is forcibly detained in a psychiatric hospital. But with the help of fellow inmate, Deidre, she battles to regain her sanity.
Mad Hannah Rafferty is a satire of hypocritical political attitudes. But it is also the moving story of Hannah’s search for the love she lost when her father died.
Author’s Website
www.tonysullivan.org
Published by The Electronic Book Company
www.theelectronicebookcompany.com
24-year-old Hannah Rafferty is writing her memoirs on a toilet roll in the lavatory of a mental hospital. She was brought up in Liverpool, England, by her step-mother Stella, the wife of Jack Rafferty, a deluded political visionary who fathered Hannah in an adulterous love-affair. He is a lapsed Catholic and Stella wants to bring him back to the true faith – resulting in a very disharmonious marriage.
Diagnosed with a terminal illness, Jack bequeaths his daughter a political tract he has been writing, expecting her to finish it. Burdened by an unsatisfactory relationship and the tragic death of her baby, she suffers a crippling breakdown.
The deranged Hannah savages a supermarket and sets fire to herself. She is forcibly detained in a psychiatric hospital. But with the help of fellow inmate, Deidre, she battles to regain her sanity.
Mad Hannah Rafferty is a satire of hypocritical political attitudes. But it is also the moving story of Hannah’s search for the love she lost when her father died.
Author’s Website
www.tonysullivan.org
Published by The Electronic Book Company
www.theelectronicebookcompany.com
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1990
1 person is currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Tony Sullivan
12 books1 followerI was born in Liverpool and found the dole very helpful while writing my first novels; I also worked in various of jobs before going to Liverpool University.
I became an English teacher but continued to write books, and had three of my novels accepted by the publisher Andre Deutsch Ltd. The first was short-listed for the Whitbread First Novel Award. All three books received excellent reviews.
I have a number of unpublished novels that will be issued as ebooks throughout 2012. I now live with my wife and laptop in rural Lancashire.
I became an English teacher but continued to write books, and had three of my novels accepted by the publisher Andre Deutsch Ltd. The first was short-listed for the Whitbread First Novel Award. All three books received excellent reviews.
I have a number of unpublished novels that will be issued as ebooks throughout 2012. I now live with my wife and laptop in rural Lancashire.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 21, 2021
I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. Made me laugh out loudly at times, not many books make me do that.
November 7, 2013
This is moving story of a young woman, a child of the late 50’s, searching for the love she lost after her father’s death. Her life slowly unravels till one day she is forcibly detained in a psychiatric institute where she writes hidden in a bathroom cubicle her memoirs on toilet paper and begins to piece her life together.
“Mad Hannah Rafferty” is a disturbing conundrum of mental problems. Through Hannah’s words and many flashbacks we learn that her father was a deluded political visionary who had an adulterous relationship. She was brought up by a step mother obsessed with religion and to bring her husband back to the true faith (of course hers). At his death Hannah is entrusted with his unfinished political leaflet for her to complete. One thing leads to another and burdened with a bad relationship and a dysfunctional family Hannah suffers a crippling breakdown and ends up in an asylum.
Nothing in life is black and white and this story excels in chronicling Hannah‘s decline. This ironically and compelling novel is not gruesome or sad by any means and provides some humorous moments describing the political attitudes of the time (this book was first published in the early 90’s) and how young revolutionaries come to face the harsh reality of life.
The story opens slowly and is hard to grasp at first but once it started to swirl with Hannah’s many thoughts it was harder to put down. This book is nicely written, first class dialogue and wonderful descriptions. Hannah’s depiction is outstanding and so are her supporting characters.
I didn't know at first what to make of this book. In hindsight after these thoughts I must say it wasn't bad at all.
“Mad Hannah Rafferty” is a disturbing conundrum of mental problems. Through Hannah’s words and many flashbacks we learn that her father was a deluded political visionary who had an adulterous relationship. She was brought up by a step mother obsessed with religion and to bring her husband back to the true faith (of course hers). At his death Hannah is entrusted with his unfinished political leaflet for her to complete. One thing leads to another and burdened with a bad relationship and a dysfunctional family Hannah suffers a crippling breakdown and ends up in an asylum.
Nothing in life is black and white and this story excels in chronicling Hannah‘s decline. This ironically and compelling novel is not gruesome or sad by any means and provides some humorous moments describing the political attitudes of the time (this book was first published in the early 90’s) and how young revolutionaries come to face the harsh reality of life.
The story opens slowly and is hard to grasp at first but once it started to swirl with Hannah’s many thoughts it was harder to put down. This book is nicely written, first class dialogue and wonderful descriptions. Hannah’s depiction is outstanding and so are her supporting characters.
I didn't know at first what to make of this book. In hindsight after these thoughts I must say it wasn't bad at all.
September 8, 2012
It took me a while to finish this. Sometimes it's a little more difficult to read books from across the pond.
In the beginning of the novel Hannah is writing her memoirs in the lavatory of a mental hospital. She has been institutionalized after ransacking a supermarket and setting herself on fire while attempting to burn a book written by her father, a deluded political visionary.
Hannah was a product of her father's affair with a woman that he met during his political activities. She was unwanted by her mother so she was raised by her father and his wife Stella. Stella is a devout Catholic who tries to bring her lapsed husband back to the church. When Hannah's relationship with her Marxist lover falls apart and her baby dies she breaks down and is hospitalized. But is Hannah the crazy one or is it just that everyone around her is crazy in a different way?
In the beginning of the novel Hannah is writing her memoirs in the lavatory of a mental hospital. She has been institutionalized after ransacking a supermarket and setting herself on fire while attempting to burn a book written by her father, a deluded political visionary.
Hannah was a product of her father's affair with a woman that he met during his political activities. She was unwanted by her mother so she was raised by her father and his wife Stella. Stella is a devout Catholic who tries to bring her lapsed husband back to the church. When Hannah's relationship with her Marxist lover falls apart and her baby dies she breaks down and is hospitalized. But is Hannah the crazy one or is it just that everyone around her is crazy in a different way?
August 20, 2012
An excellent book, I enjoyed reading it immensely. Hannah is an English socialist who goes not-so-quietly mad. It covers through flashbacks her late childhood, her father's death and her confinement to a mental institution.
September 9, 2012
Started out slow for me, but ultimately sucked me in. The story chronicles the unraveling of a woman in her 20s. Politics, a dysfunctional family, and an unfortunate love affair all contribute to her demise.
August 13, 2012
Original and interesting. It just seemed to sum up how nothing in life is black and white and showed how a young girl/woman tried to make sense of her world.
September 26, 2012
Interesting writing concept, which is the reason for the four stars. This book needs editing. There was too much explicit sex for me to feel comfortable reading the book.
April 28, 2013
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Didn't care so much for the political ravings, but overall a funny, honest look at the precipice at which we live our lives. Well some of us anyway.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews