The former librarian and protagonist in Headhunter by Timothy Findley had the unfortunate talent of bringing characters to life from books. An arsonist also escaped from Lilah Kemp's pages and burned down Rosedale Public Library in Toronto, leaving her jobless.
Lilah Kemp’s Schizophrenic Symptoms
She could normally control the characters in books a little better, but the modecate medication she received from the Queen Street Mental Health Centre in Toronto numbed her schizophrenic symptoms. Consequently, Lilah was unable to get Kurtz back into the book. Modecate is an antipsychotic medication often used for schizophrenia.
Kurtz, the Evil Headhunter
Instead of helping patients get better, this psychiatrist in Headhunter wanted to see how far he could push them. Kurtz did this by giving them permission to act out on their most twisted, dangerous and sometimes illegal desires. He especially enjoyed manipulating powerful patients out of their money, sanity and sometimes their lives.
Disease in Headhunter
The mysterious disease sturnusemia was sweeping its way through Toronto and supposedly birds were carriers. The D-Squads swept through the city, exterminating birds and any other stray animals they found along their path. There was a lot of secrecy when it came to the disease and conspiracy theories were tossed around, although no one knew what was the truth or who was to blame.
Other Characters in Timothy Findley’s Headhunter
A famous photographer along with a mentally ill artist enjoyed pushing the envelope when it came to their kinky twisted desires, so they formed a group of men that would meet regularly. This was an extremely secret group where the men remained masked. At first, they just photographed the guests in various bizarre poses and went back to their normal family lives.
Eventually, this didn’t give the men enough of a thrill. The guests became younger and the men placed more dangerous demands on them. Of course, Kurtz was aware of all this and encouraged it, accepting donations from patients and colleagues in exchange for silence.
There were many other unforgettable characters in Headhunter like the famous Wylie sisters with their mentnal health issues and Marlow, whose job it was to track Kurtz in order to stop the insanity.
All of the rich and powerful people in Headhunter got away with their depravities much longer than the average person would, especially since they bribed and/or blackmailed others.
The events and characters were quite real for many people in Headhunter, so whether Lilah was actually schizophrenic is questionable. Timothy Findley effectively communicated how frustrating it can be for someone diagnosed with a mental illness, especially when forced to numb his/her imagination with medications. There is also the danger of a misdiagnosis because in Lilah’s case, the schizophrenia diagnosis seemed to make matters worse.
Books and Awards by Timothy Findley
Other novels by Timothy Findley include: The Wars, The Piano Man’s Daughter, Famous Last Words, Pilgrim, The Telling of Lies, Spadework, Dust to Dust and Not Wanted on the Voyage. He received the Governor General’s Award for Fiction, CBA Author of the Year Award and he was an Officer of the Order of Canada. Headhunter (HarperCollins, 1994) also won the City of Toronto Book Award.
Sandra Williams - Sandra's a book addict and writer from Ontario, Canada. Her interests include cooking, health and personal development, so many of her ...
