 |   Author : Shira Nayman Edition : 1 Number of Pages : 305 Publisher : Scribner List Price: Our Price: $5.48 You Save: $21.52 (80%) Used Price : $0.45 |
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- ISBN13: 9780743292825
- Condition: New
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Product Description
TWO YEARS AFTER THE END OF WORLD WAR II, a mysterious figure, Bertram Reiner, appears at Shadowbrook, a private asylum whose elegant hallways, vaulted ceilings, and magnificent grounds suggest a country estate more than a psychiatric hospital. At first, the chief psychiatrist -- as genteel as his aristocratic surrounds -- considers his charismatic patient to be a classic, though particularly intriguing, case of war neurosis. But as treatment progresses, Dr. Harrison's sense of clarity clouds over, and he is drawn into Bertram's disquieting preoccupations.Then, late one night, an intruder is sighted on the hospital grounds, the first in a series of uncanny events that appear to the doctor to be strangely linked; clues abound, yet the truth about Bertram seems always to slip away. Meanwhile, Dr. Harrison's own long-buried troubles reemerge with brutal force. As the careful contours of his existence begin to waver, the doctor is plunged into dangerous, compulsive territory.
When Dr. Harrison finds himself spying on his head nurse, Matilda, even following her one midnight through the underground tunnels that join the hospital buildings, he knows there is no turning back. He is desperate to get to the bottom of the intertwining mysteries connecting Bertram, Matilda, and himself, and senses that everything in his life -- and theirs -- is at stake.
Set against the backdrop of the insanity of war, The Listener explores the havoc historical trauma plays with the psyche, and illuminates the uncertain boundary between sanity and insanity. Shira Nayman's storytelling is mesmerizing. The Listener is a riveting tale of madness, mystery, and passion that excavates the dark corners of the human heart and mind. It is a work of rare depth and power.
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Customer reviews
Couldn't put this put down---a must read. by .. Robert Stevens of Brooklyn (Brooklyn)
I found this book engrossing, one of those stories where you learn so much about a number of topics, while also getting an exciting and good read. I read a review online that says it better than I can. Here are a few lines from that: it's from Library Journal of America, and I always trust them more than PW which Amazon has put above.
Library Journal of America: Word for word, sentence for sentence, paragraph for paragraph, Nayman creates a gripping narrative with style and depth. Set in a post-World War II asylum, the cast of characters interact within their defined roles of clinicians, nurses, and patients. However, when Dr. Harrison encounters a mysterious patient with a dark secret in his counseling sessions, the well-defined boundaries that separate the characters slowly erode as their lives intertwine. ...with thick, sensuous writing throughout. ... (f)eaturing a plot as rich as the characters, this is a thought-provoking and psychological exploration of love, war, and human identity. VERDICT: Readers who enjoyed Ian McEwan's Atonement will enjoy the introspective tone of Nayman's work.
relevant to today's soldiers in Iraq by .. Allison Booklover (Ohio)
I really related to this book. My husband fought in Iraq. I feel as if this book spoke to me personally. My husband has a hard time talking about his feelings. This book is about World War II but I feel it is relvant to today. It helped me to understand my husband better. But that's not all. I love mystery books and this reads like a mystery. It is also a love story. And a thriller, but also psychological.I gave this book to three friends and they all liked it.
Listen to the Listener by .. Mark F. Street (Brooklyn, NY United States)
This is a great read-- a finely observed novel that speaks to the horror of war. Within the microcosm of a mental institution (a fitting milieu in which to investigate the inexplicable nature of armed conflict) Nayman takes us on journey that considers drug addiction, the power imbalance involved in the psychiatric dialogue, and how trauma haunts and skews human beings. This book held me from page one, and still hasn't released me, months later.
Highly recommended, compelling read by .. Peter Marshall (Minneapolis)
This is a lyrical, beautiful book. Nayman takes on big issues with a delicate hand. I read it over one weekend. Her language is stunning. It's a dark book, it takes you into areas of the human psyche that are hard to face, but it is a worthwhile journey. The issues are sadly current today. We forget that we are a nation at war. It's "convenient" to forget but we suffer somewhere in our collective soul by turning away. The book has stayed with me in a haunting way. Highly recommended.
gripping psychological thriller by .. Frances Prieto (Seattle, WA)
Gripping psychological thriller, with deep themes. It's hard to find really well-written thrillers. I love literary fiction and I also like a powerful mystery. This has it all. A pleasure to read such an intelligent book that also has you turning the pages. Strongly recommend it.