Hospital

By: Sanya Rushdi, Arunava Sinha - translator

Narrated by: Maryanne Fonceca

Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

In Melbourne a one-time research student with interests in philosophy and psychology is diagnosed with her third episode of psychosis. As she is moved from her family home to a community house and then to hospital, she questions the diagnosis of her sanity or insanity, as determined and defined by a medical model which seems less than convincing to her. Indeed questioning seems to be at the heart of her psychosis, in her over-active interpretations of signs and gestures, thoughts and emotions – and one understands these to be an expression of her intelligence, even if they seem illusory. She tells her story in a calm, rational voice, with an acute sense of detail and an objective air, as she wonders when the next psychotic episode will materialise, or if it hasn’t arrived already.

Based on real-life events, translated from Bengali by the award-winning Indian translator Arunava Sinha, Hospital is an extraordinary story that portrays the experience of psychosis and its treatments in an unflinching and understated way, while struggling more broadly with the definition of sanity in our society.

©2023 Sanya Rushdi (P)2024 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

'An unflinching, insightful and delicately wrought work of autofiction that brings devastating lucidity to the often-opaque realm of mental health. Drawn from Rushdi’s own experience with psychosis, it is a novel that bucks the classic tropes and cliches, eschewing sensationalism and sentimentality in favour of an invitation to meaningful engagement and understanding.' (Judges' comments, The Stella Prize 2024)

'Hospital is not just an act of magnificent storytelling, it is a vehement plea to be heard, to be recognised, respected, cared for, and loved. It is a story of empathy, compassion, and warmth.' (Feminism India)

'Hospital is exceptionally moving. It is a novel which lingers; it sticks to the skin. Weeks after finishing it, I return, repeatedly, to the fragments which arise in my memory. Rushdi is compelling; she cuts through to the heart of things.' (Westerly Magazine)

'It’s remarkable how quietly Hospital builds and how understated it is. The ground shifts, imperceptibly, and shifts over and again – and these profound unsettlements happen in the most ordinary, familiar places and exchanges: even these cannot be trusted, and there’s nothing left to which the self might be secured.' (Fiona Wright, award-winning author of Small Acts of Disappearance: Essays on Hunger)

'With heart-wrenching precision, Rushdi’s poignant prose takes us on a journey that evokes both empathy and enlightenment …Rushdi’s raw and visceral depiction of [the character] Sanya’s journey leaves an indelible mark on the reader, reminding us of the unrelenting power of the human spirit in the face of adversity.' (The Federal)