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THE UNRAVELLING OF MARY REDDISH
by David Whitfield

 

Nottingham, 1827. Mary Reddish, a young housemaid unjustly committed after defying her employer’s advances, must navigate the brutal treatments of the county asylum while trying to prove her sanity. Meanwhile, Ann and Thomas Morris, the asylum’s matron and director, struggle to uphold humane practices against outdated medical methods that haunt the institution.

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As Mary forms an unlikely alliance with a fellow patient, she finds herself at the centre of a battle between compassion and cruelty that will determine the course of her life – and the future of the asylum itself.

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Inspired by real events that took place at England’s first publicly funded asylum in Nottingham, The Unravelling of Mary Reddish shines a light on the brutal reality of mental health care in Georgian Britain.

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'A fascinating and eye-opening work – intelligently written, vividly imagined, a compulsive read' Alison Moore


'An impeccably researched and page-turning historical novel... A powerful debut' Jane Harris


'A brilliant read... unputdownable!' G.J. Williams

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ISBN (Paperback): 9781917163507 

ISBN (Ebook): 9781917163514

Published: 21st May 2025
Price: £9.99 (Paperback) £5.99 (Ebook) Extent: 288 pages
Format: 198x129mm 
Markets: World

 

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David has worked as a journalist for 25 years and is currently working for The Guardian. He used to live less than half a mile away from the site of the asylum featured in the novel, in the Nottingham suburb of Sneinton.

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Twitter: @davidwhitfield1

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