Brain Work - by Michael Guista (Paperback)

About the Book

With a blend of curiosity and sensitivity reminiscent of the work of Oliver Sachs, Guista's emotionally adept, psychologically acute debut collection of short stories explores the vast mysteries of the human mind and the fascinating intricacies of the soul.

Book Synopsis

Michael Guista's emotionally adept, psychologically acute debut collection explores the vast mysteries of the human mind and the fascinating intricacies of the soul. Turning a keen fictional eye to the rich terrain explored by Kay Redfield Jamison and Steven Pinker, Guista confronts modern mind-body dilemmas with an extraordinary mix of compassion for his characters and awe at their situations. A disillusioned psychiatrist discovers too late the folly of his professional obsession with unusual brain injuries. A son confronts the legacy of his father's schizophrenia, with surprising conclusions. An endearing late-life romance blooms between two patients in a nursing facility, one of whom is discovering life anew as the other sinks into the confusion of Alzheimer's. Disquieting, funny, and deeply human, these stories offer wise comment on the ambiguities of life.

Review Quotes

"These narratives enter the territory of the transcendent, the unmapped realm of the soul . . . Michael Guista has made it his business to practice a kind of brilliant, learned unknowingness, to hold dramatic uncertainties in front of us so that everyday madness can be viewed through the multiple dimensions of therapy and theology."