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After their chance encounter Thomas and Jacques go their separate ways to train as doctors and vow to be reunited. Their experiences expose the horror of the asylums and the suffering that is caused by the human mind. This quote from the novel exemplifies the highly harrowing and emotive language that Faulks uses, displaying his unique talent as a writer who can encapsulate the concept of the book in a few concise words:
"…He tried to sleep, but his head was filled with the faces of lunatics, their palsied hands, their shattered eyes."
Capturing the essence of the human condition, Faulks promotes deep reflection on the characters and in turn ourselves:
…human beings could live out their whole life without ever knowing what sort of creatures they really were. Perhaps it did not matter; perhaps what was important was to find serenity in not knowing.
"…human beings could live out their whole life without ever knowing what sort of creatures they really were. Perhaps it did not matter; perhaps what was important was to find serenity in not knowing."
The protagonists’ combined success as doctors allows them to set up their own hospital in the Austrian mountains, where they endeavour to transform medical practice by reaching out to patients with understanding and kindness. Their studies take them from America to Africa to try and discover the truth about the human mind. As the novel progresses they come no closer to finding the cure for mental illness; they begin to believe that ‘madness’ is an inherent human trait.
The close friendship and medical partnership between Thomas and Jacques is frequently tested as the novel develops. The novel focuses on their experiences of being human; their experiences of love, passion, desire and friendship. The two characters have two very different adventures in the medical and private realms.
I began this book feeling slightly daunted by not only its sheer size but also its complex subject matter. There was no need for concern however. This is a truly beautiful novel. Faulks invites us to question whether our ability to experience despair, love, loss and madness is the price we pay for being human. This novel does not explain the purpose of humanity or the darkest secrets of the human mind: it leaves us to think for ourselves.
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