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Book reviews suicide] (p.1). The authors start by rejecting the dichotomies and oppositions that have undermined the development of a unied understanding of suicide, including subjectivism and objectivism, social structure and human agency, quantitative and qualitative methods (p.31), arguing (convincingly) that these are more apparent than real, resting on articial divisions and posing pseudo problems (p.36). They propose an innovative approach to suicide research (sociological autopsy) which is intended to retain the emphasis found in more traditional psychologically and psychiatrically oriented studies on individual cases (psychological autopsy), while highlighting the sociological value of qualitatively-driven mixed methods research for generating insights into the [wider] social [and cultural] context in which they occur (p.45). The sample for the empirical study that forms the heart of the book comprises 100 ofcially recorded cases of suicide from a single coroners ofce over the period 2002-05. All the diverse data on which the authors relied, including suicide notes, police statements from relatives, friends and eye witnesses, forensic pathology reports, and psychiatric psychological reports), were contained within the coroners les. Consistent with their rejection of the paradigm wars, the authors embrace an epistemologically pragmatic position (p.52), maintaining that the evidence on which they relied, although produced under specic conditions aims to establish something about an externally veriable social world (pp.52-3). Throughout the book they demonstrate their commitment to a critical stance on the available sources (p.59). The books empirical exploration covers several substantive themes, including the gendered character of suicide, suicide across the lifecourse and the importance of (ruptured or absent) intimate relationships. Chapter 4 is concerned with the extension of relationships into documents and the constitution of personhood and identity in life and, less obviously, in death. The inquest is presented as a moral and paradoxical process in which all actors deceased, signicant others and professionals seek both to demonstrate their agency (even from beyond the grave via the suicide note) and to deny that agency by claiming lack of responsibility or control for what happened. Chapter 5 explores suicide notes (found in nearly half the sample) as social

While the book is recommended for the highly original perspective it offers, and for the questions it raises, we suggest care be taken in exploring the authors claims. One of the co-authors of this review (Liz), as the mother of a young man who was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome as a child, is highly ambivalent about this book. On the one hand, she (along with Mike) appreciates the challenge Timimi et al. present to accepted wisdom, but on the other hand, wonders how her son would have fared if he had encountered Timimi in the CAMHS clinic, rather than the child psychiatrist who enabled them as a family to nd a way to allow her son to thrive. As diagnostic prevalence and public awareness of ASCs have increased, so too has research attention in the social sciences. Existing theoretical and methodological resources in various disciplines are being applied to investigation of the socio-cultural aspects of ASCs, a relationship of mutual affect that will continue to foster original approaches to research. The texts considered here contribute to this ongoing process, representing as they do three original contributions to understanding the historical development of ASCs. It is hoped that future investigations can make use of the resources they provide while addressing their respective limitations. Mike Bracher University of Southampton Liz Thackray University of Sussex

Reference
Silverman, C. (2008) Fieldwork on another planet: social science perspectives on the Autism Spectrum, BioSocieties, 3, 3, 32541, Cambridge Journals Online (Cambridge, UK).

Fincham, B., Langer, S., Scoureld, J. and Shiner, M. Understanding suicide: a sociological autopsy. Basingstoke New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011, 55.00 (hbk) vii + 203pp. ISBN 978-0-230-58092-3. The bold aim of this book is to make a new contribution to [the] classic sociological debate [on

2012 The Authors Sociology of Health & Illness 2012 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Book reviews documents. The authors make a compelling (and novel) case for the essentially afliative purpose of such documents. In a passage of exemplary clarity and concision, they write: [S]uicide notes create, repair and extend social relationships between people, across time, and between life and death (p.94). Chapter 6 introduces the concept of repertoires of action, which promotes a contextualised and subjectivist understanding of causation. To understand why suicide becomes one of a range of possible behavioural options it is necessary to examine the immediate circumstances of the deceased, the experiences which led them to be in these circumstances, and to relate these elements to their personal values and beliefs which might support suicidal action. The assessment of reasonable behaviour that arises from these elements creates a repertoire of action (p.112). Based on an extended analysis of four case studies, the authors highlight the importance of social relationships and the affective dimension in the circumstances surrounding suicide and of understanding how relationships are viewed or experienced by people (p.131). The nal substantive chapter (7) presents ndings from a descriptive quantitative analysis which builds on ample previous research evidence about the relationship between ruptured social relationships, lack of involvement in social institutions and increased suicide risk by highlighting the way in which these factors vary across the lifecourse. Drawing creatively on criminological theory, attachment theory and psychoanalysis, the authors identify three distinct aetiological structures [related to increased suicide risk] (p.153) associated with different lifecourse stages: young people in crisis; mid-life gendered patterns of work and family; and older people in decline. The ruptured or absent social bond is relevant to each of these structures by amplifying conditions of egoism and anomie. The nal chapter (8) outlines the books contribution to suicide studies, acknowledges methodological limitations, casts a critical eye on national approaches to suicide prevention (especially the National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England), and concludes by providing examples of the possible contribution of the sociological autopsy approach to improving suicide prevention policy and practice. Have the authors succeeded in achieving their bold aim? In my view, the answer is a resounding

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yes! Their work exemplies the potential of dual paradigm research, both epistemologically and methodologically. They have provided convincing evidence of the value of a contextualised, situated, individual-level (case-based) approach to understanding suicide. They offer rich insights into the construction of evidence about suicide and the genesis of suicidal behaviour. In addition to the limitations identied by the authors (exclusive reliance on coroners les, absence of control group and unavailability of data at the ecological level), it is of course possible to make some quibbles. In an otherwise well written and highly readable book, it is unfortunate that most uses of complimentary are incorrect (complementary was intended) and that suicide is said to be committed (implying a criminal offence, which it has not been for over 50 years and likely to cause offence to suicide survivors.) The conceptualisation of the experience element of the repertoire of action might be broadened to incorporate a sub-cultural dimension, highlighting the potential inuence on individual behaviour of highly prevalent suicidal or suicide-like behaviours in the local sociocultural context. And the section on examples from sociological autopsy study would benet from further development to have greater impact on policy and practice. Overall, however, this is a welcome and important addition to the sociological literature on suicide and deserves a wide readership, outside as well as within the discipline. Stephen Platt University of Edinburgh

Brown, P. and Calnan, M. Trusting on the Edge: Managing Uncertainty and Vulnerability in the Midst of Serious Mental Health Problems. 2012 144pp 56.00 (hbk) ISBN: 9781847428899 The shift towards risk management, an audit culture and other elements of the New Public Management have received a great deal of attention over the past twenty years. This short book brings a sideways perspective to bear on them, through an extended theoretical and empirical exposition of the concept of trust in healthcare settings. In it, Brown and Calnan provide a sharp critique of the undue reliance now

2012 The Authors Sociology of Health & Illness 2012 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/Blackwell Publishing Ltd

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