Bedlam South

The struggle to stay sane during the insanity of war is often a staple metaphor of the "war novel" genre. In their novel, "Bedlam South," Mark Gresham and David Donaldson have transformed that metaphor into the reality of an insane asylum in the heart of the Confederacy. With in the pages of their novel, Gresham and Donaldson weave the threads of several plotlines into a cohesive tapestry portrait of the disintegration of the Confederacy. Central to the story are two characters, young Dr. Joseph Bryarly, who has returned from England to oversee Wingate Asylum outside of Richmond, and the sadistic Captain Samuel Percy, who runs it. The tension between these two characters forms the warp and weave of the story. Another thread in the novel involves seventeen year old Zeke Gibson who enlists in the Confederate army who joins his older brother, Billy, a corporal, outside Fredericksburg, Virginia. They are separated during the cataclysmic battle at Gettysburg and both fear mortal harm as come to the other. The Dougall family became acquainted with Dr. Bryarly on their journey to America and their story forms yet another thread in the story, as does Mary Beth Greene, a mulato prostitute, and Stephen Billings, a 22 year old attorney from the North. The authors, Mark Gresham and David Donaldson, have been friends since childhood. Mr. Gresham, the brother of legal novelist, John Gresham, has a deep interest in Civil War history and Mr. Donaldson has an interest in mental health. The novel they have written takes full use and advantage of both their interest to tell a story never before told. Mr. Gresham writing the military characters and Mr. Donaldson the characters of the asylum. From a writing perspective "Bedlam South" gets off to a rocky start with the over use of clichés, proverbs and dialogue that boarders on the cornpone: "Don't put the cart before the horse," "it ain't the size of the man in the fight," "a one legged man in a butt kicking contest," are just a few of the tried and true phrases that appear between the covers of this book. At a few points the dialogue does not have the ring of truth to it: A lawyer exclaiming "Oh my heavens!" In a few instances the authors seem to hold themselves back trying not to offend the sensitivities of their readers: "son of a buck" is used a couple of times, and when Zeke's friend Nate is killed all he can say is "lousy stinking blue bellies!" In one instance only is the word "damn" used. Their linguistic obfuscation borders on the politically correct as there are several references to slaves and blacks but not one use of the word "n word", an omission which is totally unrealistic considering their novel is set in the Civil War South. That being said, about half way through the book, the novel gains its momentum that carries it through to its conclusion. As the novel progresses the characters begin to interact with each other, the separate threads are woven together to form the whole cloth.

Bedlam South is a thrilling and evocative triple tale of the action and the atrocities of the Civil War as told by its participants. Zeke and Billy, two brothers enlisted in the army of northern Virginia, struggle to stay alive and connected to each other amidst the horrors that the war is inflicting upon them and the men around them. They both spend a good deal of time wondering about the safety of their family and the home they left behind. As they march across the country and get pummeled by the Union forces, they see their friends and fellow soldiers slaughtered one by one, until the day of a particularly ferocious battle when Billy goes missing among the carnage. Zeke, injured and scared, must continue the march with his unit, leaving Billy behind to a fate that he struggles to comprehend and accept. Meanwhile, the mysterious Dr. Joseph Bryarly arrives in Virginia from England, ready to become the supervisor of one of the most vile and notorious mental institutions, Richmond's Wingate Asylum. What the humble and compassionate doctor doesn't know is that the hospital has already been commandeered by the sadistic and unstable Captain Percy and his band of thugs. Without any oversight, Percy and his bandits have made the asylum a living hell for all who enter, be they the mentally afflicted, deserters, or prisoners of war. Doctor Bryarly must find a way to keep his patients and himself alive and safe from the maniac Percy, who is intent on torturing and murdering whoever gets in his way. Bridging the gap between these stories is the tale of Miss Mary Beth, a woman forced to sell her body to soldiers in order to survive. Although Mary Beth is despised by most of the town's women and adored by most of the men, she hides a secret. It is Mary Beth who will discover that her secret has the power to save Dr. Bryarly and his ragged group of patients, saving herself in the process. This was a very arresting book. The three stories told within the pages were a unique mix of topics and situations. I have read stories of war, stories of mental asylums, and stories of hard luck women before, but never all in the same book. I think that all told, the elements of the story were well integrated and ran together very smoothly. Each story held great tension and drama and seemed to flow perfectly from one section to the next. It was with mild frustration that I realized that each section was ending right at the moment I had been most anticipating, until I realized that I was actually getting back to a section that I had been engrossed in and waiting for as well. The battle sections were done in an almost academic fashion, and I thought, very well researched and accurate. Each skirmish and rout was told with substance and weight, with a full exploration of the human element as well. Although I tended to prefer Dr. Bryarly's sections over those depicting the war, I really felt that the authors honed in wonderfully on the tremendous difficulties that faced the Co

Strong characters and a great story. Outstanding read for any fan of Civil War fiction.