Tags
chief bromden, John Steinbeck, ken kesey, one flew over the cuckoos nest, psychiatric ward, United States
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was one of the books on the 1001 Book list, and I would like to give this one 3.5 really, purely for the way it always caught me out with its fresh, often razor-sharp imagery of the warped human mind. The mind in question is none other than Chief Bromden, the supposedly deaf and mute narrator.
Bromden’s spectacular hallucinations alone should be reason enough for anyone to pick up this book and read it. They are quite unique, disturbing, and often (to my alarm) actually made sense on some level. Suffice it to say, they cut through the narrative like… well… like electric shock therapy! All the way through, it made me wonder if Kesey was writing from experience. The introduction to this edition was particularly enlightening, as it gave a lot of background information on Kesey’s involvement with drug testing during the 1960’s. Maybe he actually saw similar things when he was a volunteer during these sessions.
As hard as it was to actually get into this novel, I have come to believe that this is a must-read for those interested in psychiatric care. It’s inspirational and questions that fine (often too fine) line between sanity and real madness. Kesey made me reflect on just who really WERE the psychos in the novel – the staff or the inmates?
This took me much longer to read than I had anticipated, but I think I can say it was worth it. It’s one of those books that look good when you can claim to have read it.
Related articles
- Friday Reads: The Twelve and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (readmorebooks.wordpress.com)
- Movies That Everyone Should See: “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” (fogsmoviereviews.com)
- Cuckoo to Nurse Ratched: “It’s all made up!” (onetallpoppy.com)
- Ken Kesey’s Magic Trip (thepenguinblog.typepad.com)
Wordly Obsessions 
My friend suggested this book but I didn’t read it as this is a depressing story. I think I should reconsider it
It isn’t as depressing as it sounds. There is a lot of humour in there. The way they wind up Nurse Ratched is hilarious. Dangerous, but hilarious. Besides that, it is a good example of masterful writing.
Do reconsider.
I can see how the setting & the ending can be thought of as depressing, but it was ultimately about freedom if you think of what Chief Bromden does next (don’t want to spoil it). I think getting lost in the trippy language is a rare experience, despite being difficult to handle at first.
It was difficult to handle, you’re right. Kesey has a very erratic style that needs some getting used to. But once you are there you can truly appreciate some of the stuff he says. My favourite part was the boat trip. There were some wonderful descriptions of scenery. Very visual.
Chief Bromden was the best. The book poses some really good question on ‘freedom’ and ‘rights’. Oddly, what the Chief ended up doing didn’t surprise or alarm me at all. It felt like that was the only thing left to do in that situation (can’t get anymore into it without ruining the plot!!)