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Postcards from Hell: Notes from a purple mind
A journey through a man's journey through depression, low self esteem and borderline alcoholism through to acceptance and forgiveness of himself. Using the music of Deep Purple as a reference point the book is a series of short stories explore such concepts as institutional abuse, violence, loyalty, betrayal, love, loss and death
182 pages, Paperback
Published October 26, 2020
About the author
Mark Hodgetts
5 books5 followersA partially broken product of the Christian Brothers, I hid my desire to write beneath layers of self-delusion and a fear of being seen as different.
Suppressing my natural instinct caused all sorts of confusion and general unhappiness as I progressed through the ranks of the Finance world, eventually reaching the rank of Manager of 2 country branches with the Commonwealth Bank. Success tasted stale, dirty and repugnantand I began to write as an escape.
But unresolved issues of my early life caused me to go off the rails for a while.
Writing about those issues helped me to come to terms with who I am and what I'm meant to do
Suppressing my natural instinct caused all sorts of confusion and general unhappiness as I progressed through the ranks of the Finance world, eventually reaching the rank of Manager of 2 country branches with the Commonwealth Bank. Success tasted stale, dirty and repugnantand I began to write as an escape.
But unresolved issues of my early life caused me to go off the rails for a while.
Writing about those issues helped me to come to terms with who I am and what I'm meant to do
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 13, 2022
A captivating book, for a man in his late 40s I found this book to mirror a lot of my own thoughts, challenges and struggles. It had me chuckling away in parts and then wiping a tear in others. A bare bones real interpretation of being a man in todays word without chalk boarding anything PC. Great book Mark. Really loved this read.
November 13, 2022
I found the book “Postcards from Hell: Notes From a Purple mind” very engaging, captivating and easy to read.
I related to many of Mark’s stories.
One in particular was his recollection of the High School days at a Christian Brothers’ school.
I grew up in a similar environment around the same time.
I completed my high school years in Melbourne, Australia at a Christian Brothers’ school in the 70’s. Mark describes his experiences from a different perspective to mine.
The chapter that reveals his infatuation with a woman was beautifully written and I found titillating.
I won’t spoil the surprise but I’ll just say that the Band ‘Deep Purple’ aspect that Mark cleverly utilise is fresh and unique!
The book took me through many different and mixed emotions, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
George Milhe
I related to many of Mark’s stories.
One in particular was his recollection of the High School days at a Christian Brothers’ school.
I grew up in a similar environment around the same time.
I completed my high school years in Melbourne, Australia at a Christian Brothers’ school in the 70’s. Mark describes his experiences from a different perspective to mine.
The chapter that reveals his infatuation with a woman was beautifully written and I found titillating.
I won’t spoil the surprise but I’ll just say that the Band ‘Deep Purple’ aspect that Mark cleverly utilise is fresh and unique!
The book took me through many different and mixed emotions, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
George Milhe
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December 8, 2022I'm excited to share my thoughts on Postcards From Hell: Notes From a Purple Mind with you.
This series of short interconnected pieces traces my journey through denial and discovery that caused me to have two deeply depressive episodes.
While it wasn't easy to write, it was very necessary, as it enabled me to address some really dark periods and to take ownership of what I was responsible for.
The stories are connected through various song titles of the band, Deep Purple. Songs ranging from Child in Time right (1970) through to Contact Lost (2002) and a reworked And the Address (2018) are used to help me place events in contrast.
Besides being a snapshot of what the impact of one of the great bands in rock, the book is helpful reading for anyone who is struggling emotionally, spiritually or mentally.
This series of short interconnected pieces traces my journey through denial and discovery that caused me to have two deeply depressive episodes.
While it wasn't easy to write, it was very necessary, as it enabled me to address some really dark periods and to take ownership of what I was responsible for.
The stories are connected through various song titles of the band, Deep Purple. Songs ranging from Child in Time right (1970) through to Contact Lost (2002) and a reworked And the Address (2018) are used to help me place events in contrast.
Besides being a snapshot of what the impact of one of the great bands in rock, the book is helpful reading for anyone who is struggling emotionally, spiritually or mentally.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews