The Noonday Demon

In this National Book Award winner, novelist Andrew Solomon examines the anatomy of depression--its causes, symptoms, and treatment--while recounting his own battle with a particularly severe case. He writes concisely and gracefully, frequently quoting the many literary melancholics (for example, Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath) who have written about their own pathology. His unapologetic use of clinical vocabulary might be daunting to some were it not for Barrett Whitener's crisp, scrupulous reading. One hears great empathy in his voice, but thankfully, self-pity is absent both from text and interpretation. Even so, the tape may depress the listener at first, though the feeling eventually lifts. This is intentional and a mark of Solomon's artistry, for the malady is often debilitating, sometimes deadly, difficult to treat, and claiming ever more victims. Yet often it is dismissed as temporary or immature or a relatively harmless nuisance. Making one feel it even momentarily reveals how serious depression can be and how valuable the knowledge contained in this volume. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine