DESCRIPTION

Set against the backdrop of London in the early 1960s, The Model Patient explores a world in which social freedoms appear to be expanding, yet women's lives remain tightly controlled. The novel follows Evelyn Westbrook, a young model who enters psychoanalysis seeking stability amid a troubled marriage, reproductive pressures, and the newly complicated promise of the contraceptive pill. As Evelyn's therapy progresses, the relationship intended to provide clarity instead becomes a source of confusion and destabilization. The erosion of boundaries, the fragility of trust, and the question of who holds power within the therapeutic space drive a psychological narrative that is as intimate as it is unsettling. Drawing on Lucy Ashe's own experience as a therapy patient, the conversation will examine the novel's deeper themes: the ethical complexities of psychotherapy, the silencing of women's instincts, and the unsettling ease with which authority can reshape personal reality. Though rooted in the 1960s, the story resonates strongly with contemporary discussions about consent, autonomy, and institutional power.

GUEST BIO

Lucy Ashe trained at the Royal Ballet School before changing course to study English Literature at Oxford University, graduating in 2010. She later qualified as an English and Drama teacher. Her first two novels, The Dance of the Dolls and The Sleeping Beauties, were inspired by her years immersed in the world of classical dance. The Model Patient marks a striking evolution in her work, drawing on her personal experience as a therapy patient to explore the psychology of power, trust, and self-erasure. Ashe now turns to psychological suspense with her debut thriller, an atmospheric and deeply unsettling novel set in the world of psychotherapy that asks: Who truly holds power in the therapeutic relationship and what happens when that power is abused?

Website: https://lucyashe.com

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