"[T]he more self-esteem a person has, the less likely they are to make such errors of judgment," Mildred tells George, and Devens artfully crafts the characters and story to be both lifelike and to demonstrate that truth. Upon beginning his sessions with Mildred, George finds community amongst an eccentric group of characters. When George befriends Tony Blangiardo, Tony promises to help George get his money back from the Vegas scammer, but more urgent is how George must continue to do the work to eradicate the parts of himself that allowed him to be taken advantage of in the first place.
The protagonist, George, is an artist (a pianist) seeking love and companionship, which he finds in the most unlikely places as he opens himself up to the people around him. Devens keeps the sessions unpredictable, as the conversations touch on a host of issues like the ethics of revenge, the role of rats and vermin in creation, how “most of the pain that results from the consequences of our mistakes is self-imposed.” This is a unique, thought-provoking portrait of a character, a therapy relationship, and what it means to be human.
Takeaway: Healing discussions between a therapist and a man facing depression.
Comparable Titles: Alex Korb’s The Upward Spiral, Martha Beck’s Diana, Herself.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
