‘Evocative and stark illustrations’
Salt Green Death
by Katarina Thorsen
Wolfville: Conundrum Press, 2025
$30 / 9781772621068
Reviewed by Jeffrey Stychin
*
As I was growing up, I wasn’t much of a graphic novel reader. In my early years; I tended to gravitate towards fiction novels for my age group, at whichever time I’d pick up a book. Every author I’ve read from Conundrum Press has completely changed my opinion. Katarina Thorsen’s incredible Salt Green Death is no exception. Don’t be fooled by the wonderfully charming colour palette or whimsical and intricate art in these pages: this work is a unique, darkly austere look at the lives of the O’Dwyer family. Focused mainly on the struggles with mental health and substance abuse of Joseph O’Dwyer’s life and his time spent incarcerated in psychiatric institutionalization.
When you first delve into this work you’re introduced to the O’Dwyer family, Irish immigrants who’ve settled in British Columbia, and Joseph O’Dwyer the youngest son of four siblings, born to Hanora and Michael. You quickly learn that Joseph has suffered a suicide attempt and is thus institutionalized at Colquitz Hospital, British Columbia’s first forensic psychiatric facility. Joseph struggles with mental health issues as well as substance abuse problems, alcohol and nicotine addictions.
Once Joseph arrives, his parents aren’t pleased, as they have already suffered the loss of their other three children at this point in their lives. Shortly after signing over the rights of their remaining son in hopes of his recovery, they repeatedly request Joseph to be sent home to stay with them. This is done through multiple phone calls and letters of correspondence. Their pleas are finally answered and Joseph’s parents are able to bring him home, unfortunately at this point he is so far gone from the son they knew, full of prescription drugs, he’s become aggressive and frustrated. Joseph has outbursts at home and won’t sleep, is violent and threatens to burn down everything. Hearing this, his mother phones the RCMP to take him back to the institution.
Reading this part of the book was unreal to me, it’s almost as if the parents just preferred their son to be kept away from them in hopes of his recovery but also as a way to cope with his mental state. But the thought of it feels like abandonment to me, as if they had given up. I completely disagree with what the doctors and psychiatrists had done to Joseph because at this point it seems his recovery is impossible and that is heartbreaking. An absolute failure of psychiatric medicine at the time as well as a dark, but poignant, look at treatment and mental health.
One of the main themes of this novel is the tribulations of the psychiatric system of the time in Canada. Joseph seems to be getting such apathetic help throughout his time spent institutionalized and personally, from reading this, I never felt he got the proper care or attention he deserved. Not too long after he initially arrives, not only is he placed on severe drugs (Thorazine) for his mood, but then later subjected to ECT therapy (more than 60 treatments) as well as a lobotomy, resulting in further isolation from his family and others, due to his erratic and painful outbursts of aggression. It seems to me that we had absolutely no proper idea on how to care for individuals during this post-war time, it was after all 1948 when Joseph is sent to the hospital.
I found myself really caught up at times while reading this. Each page is so well illustrated but the text isn’t so linear. It’s patchworked across the pages and this juxtaposition of layouts is what I personally love about this work. The artwork is beautiful. Part of the novel has its own thematic quality and colour palettes. I believe Thorsen is using coloured pencils and graphite to create the evocative and stark illustrations. It’s like you’ve been tossed into this family story and you’re being pulled along for the ride. Once you start reading, you’ll become lost in the sentence order and placement, just reading whatever your eyes land on first and falling into an excited dream-like trance.
I’d like to give you the entire story right here and now but I cannot because it really is something you should experience yourself. The sheer amount of artistic love and expression of emotion that went into this is profound and wonderfully inspiring. I cannot urge you enough to pick up a copy and welcome a unique journey, it feels like you’re watching a film with the sensibility and thoughtfulness of an author’s personal touch.
*
Jeffrey Stychin studied verse and poetry through music and art. He began writing as a means of catharsis and as a way to communicate with himself and others. A Vancouver barber by day, a poet by night, he currently resides with his thoughts and dreams in a quiet place full of trees. [Editor’s note: Jeffrey Stychin has recently reviewed books by Marc Edge, Jon Bartlett & Brian Robertson, Nellwyn Lampert, Pamela Oakley, Christian Smith, Gillian Turnbull (eds.), Jill Payne, and Nathan Hellner-Mestelman for The British Columbia Review.]
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The British Columbia Review
Interim Editors, 2023-26: Trevor Marc Hughes (non-fiction), Brett Josef Grubisic (fiction)
Publisher: Richard Mackie
Formerly The Ormsby Review, The British Columbia Review is an on-line book review and journal service for BC writers and readers. The Advisory Board now consists of Jean Barman, Wade Davis, Robin Fisher, Barry Gough, Hugh Johnston, Kathy Mezei, Patricia Roy, and Graeme Wynn. Provincial Government Patron (since September 2018): Creative BC. Honorary Patron: Yosef Wosk. Scholarly Patron: SFU Graduate Liberal Studies. The British Columbia Review was founded in 2016 by Richard Mackie and Alan Twigg.
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