Girl, Interrupted

A landmark memoir of mental illness, identity, and recovery, now published in a special 30th anniversary edition with a new introduction by the author.

In Girl, Interrupted, Susanna Kaysen recounts her experiences as a young woman in the psychiatric ward of McLean Hospital, a renowned institution known both for its innovative approach to treatment and its notable patients. With piercing honesty and vivid detail, Kaysen portrays the complex world she inhabited alongside her fellow patients and the staff who cared for them.

Set against the shifting cultural landscape of the late 1960s, this unforgettable memoir captures the fear, confusion, humour, and humanity found within a place often hidden from view. Through razor-sharp observations and compassionate storytelling, Kaysen challenges the boundaries between sanity and illness, normality and difference, offering a powerful exploration of what it means to lose—and reclaim—a sense of self.

A clear-eyed and enduring work, Girl, Interrupted remains a profound reflection on mental health, resilience, and the fragile line between being labelled and being understood.