Ravenscraig — Alex Marshall

Ravenscraig is a post WWII fictionalized memoir told from the perspective of Alasdair Marshall who is raising his son Ewan, by himself, after his wife's death. When Alasdair's father Alex is struck with Alzheimer's, Jean, Alex's wife admits him to a full-time care facility called Ravenscraig which has a dark history as a lunatic asylum. The hospital becomes an ever present reminder to Alasdair of his father's deterioration. Jean is overwhelmed by the stress of Alzheimer's and the guilt of removing her husband from his home. Psychologically embattled, she begins to see the spirits of departed relatives. Finally, unable to cope and suffering from emphysema and osteoporosis, she moves to England to live with her daughter Margaret. Alasdair is compelled to examine his relationships with his father, mother and sisters by reliving childhood memories, good and bad. He remembers his family having to live in a cramped, three bedroom apartment with his grandparents, three uncles and an aunt. Clashing personalities and violent tempers are a constant threat to the calm of everyday life. However, Alasdair recalls happy times when the home was filled with laughter, humor and music. Although Ewan is upset that his grandpa doesn't remember him, he finds solace through the healing power of music. When he plays his bagpipes and his grandpa plays his accordion, they are reunited. Although Alzheimer's takes a terrible toll, ultimately it fails to destroy a family determined to reconcile the past with the present and overcome a troubled past.