"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is a novel written by Ken Kesey. It was published in 1962, although it really, really feels like a 70's story. Weirdly so. I'll try and keep this one brief.
The whole story is set in an asylum full of guys with various degrees of psychological aberrations. There is a nurse there named Ratched that rules the facility with an iron will. She is basically the villain of the story because nobody can really do anything against her.
Enter Randle Patrick McMurphy to mess everything up. This guy may not actually be crazy, but he's still there for his own reasons. He's probably the only wrench that can mess up the control Nurse Ratched has on the asylum. McMurphy has a very big ego, and he knows how to throw it around in very strategic ways---ways that really get under the skin of the nurse. This is basically the fun of the book.
It is not all fun and games though. Despite having a humorous plot, the book is actually a very serious one. It also never, ever pulls its punches. It does this so well that it can be, at times, a bit depressing. I think this is why I thought this book was from the 70's. It has that hard-cutting edge that we usually got from that decade. Also the famous film adaptation came out in 1975, which makes perfect sense. I guess this book was a little ahead of its time.
Those hard edges are both a blessing and a curse. The story does rather hurt by the end of it, and it ultimately left me feeling sad. And this is really strange since the whole premise of the book seems kind of fun and relaxing. It is what it is though.
There is one last thing I want to mention. This book does an extremely good job at representing the surreality of a disturbed mind. There are extremely well-written scenes that are from the strange perspective of the writer (not the author). Some of these are dreams or moments before a shocking event, but they are all just so wonderfully presented. Those moments are some of my favorites from this book.
Despite my misgivings, I still recommend the book. It was still a great read, and I don't regret it at all. This is especially a good book for those who really want to buck the system, which is really the main theme of the story.
This blog was written on May 28, 2025.
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