Joseph’s Ladder / 30

Gina’s first novel, Joseph’s Ladder, is a true story. It portrays one woman’s battle to retain her own identity while coping with her son’s serious mental health decline. Gina manages effectively to convey to the reader the complexity of dealing with both practical and emotional issues, frustration, anger and guilt which threatens her marriage and changes family life forever. Lily is presented as a woman who has reached that stage of life when her children are growing up. She is beginning to find herself and pursue her own career as an artist. Interwoven in the story are some lovely pieces of humour found in both her studies with younger students and ironically in the psychiatric unit. Lily undertakes a trip to Bulgaria which is fraught with danger. Joseph’s Ladder is compelling and hard to put down. It covers many aspects both exciting and tragic, taking the reader into the mind of an artist, a journey to a squat in Manchester and a battle with the authorities. Mental Health and Family Relationship Book Gina Wilcox studied fine art at university and gained a 2:1 BA (Hons) degree. After graduating she exhibited her paintings in London. However, when her son became seriously ill she had to stop and devote most of her time to his well-being. She describes herself as a creative person with a fertile imagination. Writing and art are both equally important to her and she sees her two creative gifts as having much in common. Visit Gina’s Author Page. If you’ve read this book and enjoyed it, please rate it on Goodreads.“I was given a copy of this book just before going on a business trip and started reading it the night before I left, that was a mistake as I couldn’t put it down. I really wanted to know the outcome of the story and the fate of Lily and her family. I ended up reading it for the whole of the plane trip and every night after working on documents for ten hour days! The action of the story is complex and interwoven with Lily’s personal view on life, art, friendships and family values. It is a sad story centred on a life interrupted by traumatic events but has moments of humour and self recognition that make you smile and shake your head. Lily’s family are easily recognisable as “that could be us”. That realisation, which comes over well in the writing of this book, makes the whole thing poignant as it is based on a real family. Highly recommended to anyone, but particularly to those who are interested in art and the engagement of art in everyday life.” Sarah Touchstone “I really enjoyed this book which was well structured, intelligently written, and kept my interest. The novel manages effectively to convey to the reader the complexity of the practical and emotional problems which can unexpectedly happen within a close family group when a mental heath problem strikes one of them. In this particular case the person struck is a young adult, Joe.” Marie Harris “This novel tells the story of one family's journey. But it's an uncompleted journey – the parents cannot know what is around the corner for their damaged son, Joe. The main point is this: the facts ring true. You can feel the mother's agony at every twist and turn.” Clive Hedley ISBN: 9781908941213