Couple Found Slain by Mikita Brottman

I would LOVE to see more of this type of thoughtful true crime! Yes, I found it fascinating given my personal obsession with psychology. But more importantly, this type of story reminds us of the flaws within our own American institutions and (hopefully) inspires us to make them less dehumanizing and more effective.

Also, a huge THANK YOU to Macmillan Audio for giving me auto-approval on all of their titles! This is the first one I listened to after receiving that honor, and I look forward to many more!

One-sentence summary:
​This work of true crime nonfiction pulls back the curtain on the state of our current psychiatric institutions by exploring the experiences of a young man named Brian Bechtold, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia after murdering his parents and has been locked away within the rather hopeless environment of a maximum security psychiatric hospital for 27 years with what appears to be no chance of ever leaving.

My thoughts:
This book is a cross between HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD, a nonfiction work that explores a family in which six children were diagnosed with schizophrenia, and ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, which shows the dark underbelly of America’s psychiatric wards. 

While the act that Bechtold committed at the age of 22 is horrible, Brottman - through her extensive research and ample compassion - is able to bring to light his humanity. She explores his struggles to find either a better existence within - or a way out of - a rigid psychiatric hospital that seems to be doing too little to rehabilitate its patients beyond prescribing copious amounts of drugs. His story, and her telling of it, reveals the flaws with which these institutions continue to operate, with the blessing of the legal system, and how this ‘serves’ society by locking away those with mental disorders indefinitely.

The latter part of the book touched on the high turnover of staff within the wards, sharing that those people who are more empathetic are often driven away from the job because of how difficult it is. I would have loved to hear more about this, and in particular, I think the inclusion of the stories and viewpoints of a psychiatrist and nurse from Brian’s ward would have added another dimension to the book. More specifically, I wonder how the policies of these institutions, along with the pressure the system puts on the staff to meet certain benchmarks, influences and perhaps inhibits them from doing their best work.

Besides being an excellent non-fiction author, Brottman is a certified psychoanalyst, and she seems to have a deep understanding of the current psychiatric landscape. In the book, she shares the shifts in thinking that have occurred around schizophrenia, which I found fascinating.

And this was narrated well by Christina Delaine.

I’d love to see more books like this in the true crime genre! I highly recommend this for anyone interested in true crime, psychology or the criminal justice system!

This comes out July 6!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ARC!