New dark novel which was inspired by Mansfield and Ashfield locations is published

With mine workings collapsing and a high security hospital, Foston Hall, which resembles nearby Rampton, Nottinghamshire features strongly in my latest novel, The Wonders of Doctor Bent. It is a novel about the devastating impact of different kinds of traumatic loss but also the potential routes to recovery. The fiction delves into criminal accountability, mental health and the power of the arts to save individuals from mental decline.

The worlds of Jason Hemp, an English lecturer, and Dr Bent, the unlikely Medical Director of high-security psychiatric hospital Foston Hall, come together in this dark tale of murder, revenge and abandonment. Attempting to track down his twin brother’s killer, Jason finds his life unravelling in unexpected and frightening ways, whilst visionary Dr Bent attempts to reform Foston Hall into a place of comfort, all while facing his own mental health challenges. The earth literally and metaphorically moves for Dr Bent. The novel asks, when everything is falling apart, who do you trust?

Drawing on nearly forty years working in mental health and twenty-five years researching and teaching the subject at the University of Nottingham, I moved between Nottingham and Mansfield on a regular basis. Although, the imaginary Nottinghamshire I create bears some resemblance to real physical environments in the region, all events and characters are purely hallucinatory inventions.

The University of Nottingham has been a big part of my life. As the world’s first Professor of Health Humanities, based at the Institute of Mental Health, I have had the privilege of leading a global field to support people’s mental health and wellbeing through creative activities.

Looking back, my writing life has grown out of trauma, not least through adverse experiences in childhood. Such experiences bring loss of trust so profound, so immense, that the black dog of depression is hard to shift. Books and writing have been my self-prescribed medication. I am, like many colleagues working in the field of mental health, and, indeed Dr Bent, a wounded healer. The challenges to my mental state have provided a path to empathy for others who suffer in their minds but also given me strong insights into the torments that many people endure and the marvels of recovery. Sometimes, just to survive is our greatest achievement!

One of the joys of writing fiction alongside academic non-fiction is hearing back from my readers. After all, what is a writer without them? Authors need to anticipate conversations with readers to balance the solitary nature of this kind of creativity. They also have to wait, sometimes anxiously for early reviews! Here are a few that boosted my mood and validated all the hours of writing!

"A beautifully written and engaging psychological thriller that will keep you thinking long after the final page. Paul Crawford’s The Wonders of Doctor Bent is a gripping exploration of mental health, morality, and the human psyche. With impeccable prose and a thought-provoking plot, this dark literary thriller not only captivates fans of the genre but also offers profound value to those with lived experience of or an interest in mental health, shedding light on the complexities of compassion and accountability."

Dr David Crepaz-Keay, Mental Health Foundation

“I loved the book! The Wonders of Doctor Bent is an engaging and entertaining novel. Readers who enjoy the way in which crime writers such as John Harvey and David Belbin have explored the seamier side of the city of Nottingham will very much appreciate Paul Crawford’s work, as will readers who enjoy the social observations of a novelist like Stanley Middleton. He has created two memorable central characters, and draws on his own real-life experience of health humanities and creative practice to draw us into his vividly realised version of life in the contemporary English midlands.”

Professor James Moran, Professor of Modern English and Drama, The University of Nottingham

"A brilliantly written thriller which draws us into the dire consequences of adverse childhood experiences. It poignantly reveals the potential for recovery."

Gene Beresin MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

“A moving tale of loss and love. Jason Hemp breaks down after his perfect brother is murdered and Dr Bent, an imperfect, thrill-seeking, motorcycle-riding healer, fights to transform the humiliating state of the public services. His revolutionary changes are undermined, and he is left wondering what it is all for, and resolves to repair his own dark wounds...”

Kam Bhui CBE, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Oxford

“If you like psychological thrillers that are well crafted and intriguing Paul Crawford’s book is a must read. The interplay between characters is superb. To borrow a Crawford line my ‘skin prickled’ with the twists and turns. It excels. It is realistic. It is honest. I can’t wait to see more of Doctor Bent…”

Ronnie Brown, author of Restless Souls, Unquiet Minds and Fragmented Bodies

Another reader, Dave Chawner, author of Weight Expectations, Stand-Up Comedian and Mental Health Campaigner gave the kind of one-liner that you dream about as a writer!

"Brooding, brilliant and beautiful."

To readers past and readers future in Mansfield and Ashfield, I thank you! To those traumatised in childhood or struggling with their mental health, I hope you get all the love and support you need.

The Wonders of Doctor Bent is available at Amazon, WHSmith, Foyles, Waterstones, Foyles, Cranthorpe Millner, and all good bookshops.