By (author) Thomas Ogden
This Will Do... is a gripping story of three young people whose attempts to make a life for themselves are at times misdirected, sometimes self-defeating, and now and again sufficiently successful to make something that "will do."
Ogden's writing is an event to be savored in its own right, at once powerful and tender, richly descriptive and unassuming.
By (author) Thomas Ogden
Thomas Ogden, MD, published his debut novel, 'The Parts Left Out', in 2014. He has also published twelve books of essays on the theory and practice of psychoanalysis, and on the writings of Frost, Borges, Kafka, and others. His most recent works of non-fiction include 'The Analyst's Ear and the Critic's Eye: Rethinking Psychoanalysis and Literature'; 'Creative Readings: Essays on Seminal Analytic Works'; 'Rediscovering Psychoanalysis'; and 'This Art of Psychoanalysis: Dreaming Undreamt Dreams and Interrupted Cries. '. His work has been translated into twenty languages. Dr Ogden was awarded the 2012 Sigourney Award for his "contributions to the field of psychoanalysis"; the 2010 Haskell Norman Prize for "outstanding achievement as a psychoanalytic clinician, teacher and theoretician"; and the 2004 'International Journal of Psychoanalysis' Award for "The Most Important Paper of the Year." He practices psychoanalysis in San Francisco, where he teaches both psychoanalysis and creative writing.
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Thomas Ogden is a master at delving into the mysteries of the human heart. His depiction of a teenage boy’s spiral into psychosis as seen through the eyes of his younger brother is both harrowing and unforgettable. Similarly, his portrayal of a girl’s disgust at her after-school task of caring for her drunken mother rings horrifyingly true. But the wonder of this novel lies in its exploration of intimacy between these two self-isolated protagonists and how their capacity for radical candor leads to something we might call healing. This is a novel about losing—and finding—one’s mind.
Thomas Ogden, who is perhaps the most renowned psychoanalyst writing today, demonstrates his prowess as a writer of fiction in his stunning debut novel, The Parts Left Out. His keen eye for the complexity of human relationships and human frailties makes the characters so real and compelling that they seem to step out of the page. Ogden’s novel confirms that the truest concepts developed in psychoanalysis have already appeared in the insight of the artist. This story takes hold of the reader in its opening paragraphs and does not let go until its heart- wrenching ending has been told. I found this book almost impossible to put down.
