Howard Flinch

Book excerpt: DescriptionEveryone is to some degree their own schizophrenic. Brendan feels it is his job in life as a committed schizophrenic to pass on his experiences in coping with this 'disease'. Brendan feels he has a lot to offer his readers because of his success in dealing with life's problems. This book is a mixture of autobiography and fantasy. Basically a 'send up' of UK psychiatry, Roman Catholicism and the mixed up world of human relationships that we all inhabit. The many characters appear under one name in one section but will then appear in another section as someone slightly different. Brendan deals with his characters in this way in order to present them as characters in their own right but also as fragments of his own self. Despite the serious subject matter of this book, there is much laughter. The book is an emotional roller-coaster, leaving the reader not knowing whether to be sad or happy - but always laughing.About the Author Brendan Reason is 54 and lives alone in Ipswich. Brendan has suffered from a form of schizophrenia since 1976 but has never let this prevent him from living life to the full. Since 1987 he has worked as a volunteer at the Ipswich Disabled Advice Bureau - giving advice and help to people who are disabled. He also regularly sings and plays guitar at the Bureau's AGM. Brendan has an Honours degree in Social Administration and a post-graduate certificate in Education. Brendan believes he was much happier as a student than he is in the world of work and because of his mental health problems the longest he has held down a paid job is two and a half years.Brendan has always written poetry and prose and, in the mid nineties, a small but well regarded publisher called 'Envoi Poets' published a book of his poetry called 'Fragments of Eve and Other Poetry'. Another of his creative interests has been amateur dramatics both as a budding actor and script writer. In 1987 The Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich performed several of Brendan's scenes and sketches in a lunchtime performance given over to local writing talent. Brendan says that he ""feels privileged that life has given me something to write about and that means so much to me.""