Dimensions
153 x 234 x 23mm
"There is no cure for being alive." Thus speaks Dr David McBride, a psychiatrist for whom death exerts and unusual draw. As a young child he witnessed the death of his six year old brother and it is this traumatic event which has shaped his own personality and choice of profession. One day a failed suicide, Elizabeth Cruickshank, is admitted to his hospital. She is unusally reticent and it is not until he recalls a painting by Caravaggio that she finally yields up her story.
Through David's narration, we learn of Elizabeth Cruickshank's dereliction of trust, and the man she has lost. As her story unfolds David finds his own life being touched by her account and a haunting sense that the 'other side' of his elusive patient has a strange resonance for him, too.
Set partly in Rome, 'The Other Side Of You' explores the theme of redemption through love and art, which has become a hallmark of Salley Vickers' acclaimed work. As with her other highly popular novels, this is a many-layered and subtly audacious story, which traces the boundaries of life and death and the difficult possibilities of reputance.
