Review: The Devil in Silver

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The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I worked in a lock-down psych facility for several years so this story resonated with me probably more than the average reader. I would venture that Victor LaValle has spent some time of his own locked away in one of these wards... perhaps as a patient or maybe as staff... because there is no way he could have captured the atmosphere so completely without living there himself. From the desperation of Pepper and the other patients to the unfairness of their confinement, this story held as much fact as fiction. In fact, some of the scarier parts of the story are those which hold truth. Pepper is just one of many held prisoner in an ineffective system that harbors nightmares and demons.

I have read some of the negative reviews of this book and in my head I can hear myself saying, "you just don't get it." This was truly a brilliant read. It brought me back to my days when a tiny schizophrenic girl with 3 inch long nails violently attacked me, a 200lb+ man (with great success). I could imagine the halls full of patients shuffling around the floors in a drug-induced stupor because the doctor's didn't know how to manage them in their manic states. I can see people truly believing their were demons on the ward... or in my days truly believing they were giving birth to puppies.

It's amazing what our mind can convince us of and the story of how it is managed is truly a nightmare. Books like this make me shiver a bit to consider that one day any of us could find ourselves with our minds not quite cooperating....

The Devil in Silver is a brilliant story that may hit home for some people like me, but is a worthy and exciting read for just about anyone!



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