The Ballroom is Anna Hope’s second novel and one inspired in part by a family connection. I review it in full at Bookbrowse.
A woman who works in a dark, stuffy, factory, one who has been working in hard labour since she a child, is seized by a desperate need to see the sky and smashes a blackened window one day on impulse.
This is how we meet Ella Fay, just before she is committed to an asylum, a place where not only those who genuinely require care, but those who are at the mercy of the powerful (men, husbands, employers), often find themselves.
Picture: Mark Davis
It is here Ella meets John, a more fortunate patient who works outdoors, he and Ella meet briefly when she tries to escape being held and subsequently on Fridays in the ballroom, the only time selected men and women are allowed to meet.
John is being observed by Dr Charles Fuller, who desires to make a contribution to his field, he closely follows the developments of the Eugenics movement, a group who support improvement of the human race through the prevention of the feeble-minded from reproducing. Uncertain which side of the debate he is on, he tests his theories through observations of the patients, until an unfortunate incident swings his position wildly towards one extreme.
Picture: Mark Davis
Tension mounts as Ella and John begin to correspond and grow closer to each other and as Dr Fuller’s plans grow closer to fruition, endangering all that might be.
It is an interesting and gripping novel of the experience of two patients who feel more normal to the reader than the man in charge of them, creating a certain tension as we wonder what will happen to them, as they grow to need each other.
The novel is based in part or at least inspired by the authors own great-great grandfather, also an Irishman, who she discovered was committed to the West Riding Pauper Lunatic asylum in the same era on account of his melancholia, caused by the constant threat of poverty; sadly he passed away there.
It provides a disturbing highlight on the British eugenics movement, at its height at the time, supported by a number of high-profile intellectuals and politicians including Winston Churchill.
Note: This book was an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
Click Here To Buy a copy of The Ballroom via Book Depository
Word by Word 
I have this in my pile. I loved her first book, and I have hopes that I’ll like this one just as much. I didn’t realize it was inspired by a family connection!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t read The Wake, but I recall lots of positive reviews about it at the time, this one seems to have been enjoyed by those who have read her before, it’s a wonderful story really, it would make an excellent film.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for reminding me of The Ballroom, Claire. I thought it was fascinating on the treatment of mental illness, although of course Ella is completely sane. The views of the Eugenics Society brought our nastier tabloids to mind.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had no idea about the Eugenics Movement, a slightly horrifying tangent taken from Darwin’s findings and I couldn’t help but think of all those who were sent or encouraged to go and live in the British colonies, being of a class that would never be able to attain positions of power or ownership, a more subtle strategy of a similar notion, to rid the country of the less desirable in society.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, indeed. Shaming in retrospect but regarded as respectable at the time. It played into Nazism as well, of course.
LikeLike
Yes, taken into extremes in the US, then picked up the Nazi’s, quickly hushed and brushed elsewhere.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I read Wake and then quickly headed over to buy this as well and read it straight away. I thought it was rather fabulous.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Isn’t it, truly inspired and well researched but manifesting into a compelling tale.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This sounds like a wonderful read. I’ve heard great things about Anna Hope – I have her first book to read but haven’t got around to it yet. Perhaps I should. There’s something extremely fascinating about books set in asylums. Great review Claire.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, yes asylum stories, true and fictitious are fascinating. One of the most incredible I have read was Wrestling with the Angel by Michael King which is a biography of the writer Janet Frame, who spent time in an asylum and was actually scheduled for a lobotomy, hastily cancelled when she won an esteemed literary prize for her short story collection The Lagoon and then went on to become one of New Zealand’s most prominent writers. Like many people she had mental health issues, however back then, they were quick to experiment with interventions. I hope you enjoy this one Belinda.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: The Ballroom by Anna Hope – Consumed by Ink