In Judgement of Others
by Eleanor Anstruther
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Pub Date 28 Jan 2025 | Archive Date 15 Mar 2025
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Description
The Midhurst Amateur Dramatic Society are putting on a production of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit, and Tessa has agreed to play a part. But when she suffers a psychotic episode, Ros, a C-list celebrity and new to the community, takes her place.
In this darkly comic tale of psychosis in the Home Counties, the stage is set for a blistering examination of mental illness, how we treat it and why we don’t. While Tessa is sectioned in a secure psychiatric hospital, the relationships in the community unravel, and by the time she’s released, all that we thought we knew, and all of our judgements, are thrown into question.
Dim the lights, turn off your phones, settle in as the curtain rises...
Advance Praise
“Jagged, glittering, searing- “In Judgement of Others” brilliantly exposes the brutal undercurrents of complacent middle-class life. “ L.S. HILTON
“Eleanor Anstruther writes with the barely suppressed anger and particular concision of Elizabeth Taylor.” DAMIAN BARR
“Anstruther is a fantastic storyteller. In this clever, bubbling novel she exposes the dark heart of the Home Counties. Her writing on difficult subjects is perfectly pitched: a light and tender touch but not without real substance.” FIONA MELROSE
“An Evelyn Waugh of our times, with a detour by way of Jilly Cooper, Eleanor Anstruther is biting in her wit and unflinching in her observations of both the darkness and joys of small-town life in England.” SUSANNAH CONSTANTINE
“Brilliant. Beautiful writing with deftly drawn characters, In Judgement of Others offers us a glimpse into all our own hypocrisies.” CARIAD LLOYD
“What are the truths we hide... or hide from? This satirical, dark novel is the perfect fireside read for the coming winter nights.” ESSIE FOX
“Smart, funny, brittle and full of empathy all at the same time, In Judgement of Others is a tightly-wound novel that asks all the right questions. What is the appropriately sane response to modern life? How do you survive living with other people? And are any of us really remotely equipped to deal with all this? A brilliant examination of how we handle mental illness, family and the trials of everyday life.” VIV GROSKOP
Available Editions
EDITION | Paperback |
ISBN | 9781836280002 |
PRICE | £9.99 (GBP) |
PAGES | 264 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews

Well, this book was definitely way more different from what I expected. lol
But in a good way!!!
The art cover is stunning, but the content is heavy and full of pertinent discussions on mental illnesses.
It's quite a short book, but it has a lot to say and to make us, the readers, thinking about and digesting it.
Certainly a very pleasant surprise.

This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I was not disappointed. It was a really good book. I did have moments where it seem slow, but overall it was written well. It was written about mental illness, and the way that it is treated. The way the author chose to write about such a hard topic was well done. I enjoyed this book immensely. I look forward to more books by this author. Thank you Net Galley ARC!

This is such a good book! It is about mental illness and we have our main character in a mental institution. We can't tell as readers if we have a reliable narrator or not. It is so intriguing and keeps you wondering throughout the book. It is a bit eye opening learning about the treatment of people, how so many people scam others, etc. I think there a couple slow parts and confusing parts, but other than that it was great!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

This was an interesting read! I liked the focus and insight into mental illness, and I think it was done very well making us not know who is a reliable and who is an unreliable narrator.
I do think there were a few slow parts, but overall it was a good read!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Troubadour for the eARC.
This is such a good book, it's painful, harrowing and so sad, but beautiful at the same time.
The description of Tessa's breakdown is very real. I was blown away with the way it was handled. The other characters had problems too, but didn't end up in a psych ward. It was a portrait of lives that clung on to sanity by a hair and how some of us can teeter on the cliff of life without being put away.

Three women in an affluent West Sussex community are each experiencing a crisis while they prepare to put on an am-dram production of Blithe Spirit. (I've never managed to get through Coward's play so it's not essential to be familiar with it, but a quick Google allowed me to see the resonances.)
A great page-turner which is entertaining and engaging while also tackling some serious themes around relationships and mental health.

I don't know who would find this comical (dark or otherwise) but it is a sensitive portrayal of mental illness. Tessa's break down and subsequent hospitalization will make you think about others. It helps, btw, to be familiar with Blithe Spirit- a quick google will give you enough plot points to see why Anstruther chose it for the play. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

In Judgement of Others opens with Tess in the height of a psychotic episode; her carefully arranged plans for a quiet family day shopping quickly escalates into hours of manic shopping and consuming, her family far from her mind. When she arrives home, she realises that she can't stand her kitchen layout and knows exactly what needs to change. She starts knocking down walls, ripping off cupboards, with a clear vision in mind. When her husband Scott comes home, he can't help but realise what's happening with her mental health, and GPs arrange for her to be sectioned while she is treated. The story follows Tess in the in-patient unit and through the days where everything feels like groundhog day, one day the same as the next.
Alongside this story, there's another storyline where the local am dram group are putting on a performance of 'Blithe Spirit'. There are lots of big personalities in the group including ex-professional actor Ros, who is the most glamorous woman seen in Mid-Sussex. Tess had begged to be part of the group but is obviously no longer able to take part so various excuses are made about where she is.
When Ros visits Tess and brings her a copy of the script, the other inpatients are thrilled to have something to take their attention and form their own am dram group, often with greater insight than the 'real' actors.
This is a hard hitting book about society's treatment of mental illness, the impact on the person, their families and wider circles and how we all shy away from the truth. It isn't always an easy read and challenges the reader to face some preconceptions but it is well worth the journey.
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