A review by thisgeminireads
Faces in the Water by Janet Frame

4.5

Janet Frame's Faces in the Water is a profoundly moving and deeply unsettling novel that offers a semi-autobiographical glimpse into the harrowing experiences of Istina Mavet, a young woman confined to a mental institution. Istina endures the restrictive and cruel landscape of institutional life. Patients face horrible hospital conditions and brutal treatment from the staff. It's a harsh lesson every patient learns: if you 'act out,' you will quickly suffer the consequences. She is also constantly in and out of institutions, and living under the pervasive fear of lobotomies and ECT. 

It’s not an easy read. The prose is slow, dense, and carries a heavy emotional weight that demands patience and introspection. Take your time with the novel. It has left a lingering impact on me. 

“Although I longed to, I never joined the scramble, and viewing it from the outside, was filled with disgust that the staff had so far forgotten that the people in their charge were human beings, as to treat them like animals in a pen at the zoo.”

Frame masterfully portrays the dehumanizing aspects of her environment, yet despite the despair, she weaves in poignant observations of the natural world.

“For in spite of the snapdragons and the dusty millers and the cherry blossoms, it was always winter. And it was always our season of peril.”

One thing that stood out to me with this throughout the novel was there's various mentions of changing seasons, and a particular emphasis on trees and flowers such cherry blossoms. These vivid descriptions serve as a powerful reminder of the outdoors, of life continuing beyond the walls of confinement, and of the inherent beauty that persists even in the midst of destruction or peril.

“The quick spring brought swelling tides of softness and warmth in the dry cold air and the smell of blossoms, the heavy honey-smell of the bush flowers, the fiery blossom of the rata tree and the fuchsia with its purple flowers like intimate folds of bruised flesh.” 

They show a clear contrast to the sterile and often violent reality Istina faces, becoming symbols of hope, resilience, and the enduring connection to life outside the asylum. This balance between inner turmoil and external beauty is one of the novel's most interesting and thought-provoking elements. 

I’m interested in reading more from Janet Frame.