One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesley (book review)
13/08/2012 § 2 Comments
Bromden, a paranoid schizophrenic in a 1960’s mental hospital is taciturn and feigning deafness. Initially a remote narrator, Bromden is drawn into his own plot by the new and apparently sane patient, McMurphy. This venerated clown effectively unnerves the reader by representing at once a hero subverting the tyranny of ‘Big Nurse’, and a paedophilic psychopath with a warped vendetta. Powerful demonstrations of insanity are diluted by patient inactivity and Bromden’s long delusionary parentheses. This contrasts the monotony of institutionalisation with the terrifying immediacy of a psychotic break, with the unfortunately inevitable result of making the novel tiresome in places.
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Have you seen the film? I’m put off reading this as I’ve already seen the film and I’m worried itll overshadow it.
If you enjoyed the film you should definitely read the book – it gives you a lot more insight into the characters, particularly Bromden. The Big Nurse is a much more multifaceted character in the book, also. Let me know what you think! B