The Train Back
- Author:
Dy Lena Berg ana
Pat Chapman
Allen Lane The Penguin Press, ?2.50 This is a fascinating book which I recommend to all workers in the field of human relations. In a series of flashbacks it tells the story of Pat Chapman’s life as she remembered, wrote and recounted it to her friend, Leila Berg (who is the editor). Mrs Chapman was turned out of her home at the age of fourteen and was moved from one training or penal institution to another. In a search for affection she married a man who was later diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. Her son, Ricki, and the events leading up to his conviction for manslaughter also feature prominently in the story. She eventually traced her parents, and the final chapter gives an account of their meeting. From her earlier confusion and helplessness a person of intelligence and integrity, with a capacity to give and show warmth, emerges.
Nowadays it would not be quite so easy for parents to ‘lose’ or discard all responsibility for their children as Mrs. Chapman’s parents lost her. But an increased understanding of how people feel in such a situation often helps the worker to be more effective in a helping capacity. This book has value as part of every worker’s sensitivity training. What it does not give is a deeper understanding of why Mrs. Chapman became a lifelong victim. What happened in her family that laid the genesis of these seemingly contrary characteristics? I was constantly asking myself why she became a scapegoat. The reader is left with many questions.
It is important not to be put off by the unfortunate introduction by Dr. Ollendorff. The synopsis and commendation on the dust cover is accurate and much less pretentious. Leila Berg makes the point that she deliberately did not over-tidy Mrs. Chapman’s vivid and rich material. Personally, I would have preferred a little more tidying. At times I was confused ? unnecessarily so I felt ? and I think the long chapter on Ricki would have been better placed at the end of the book, but these are small criticisms and do not influence my overall strong recommendation.
Pat Coussell
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