Brain Work: A Debut Short Story Collection – Funny, Disquieting Tales of the Human Mind

by Michael Guista

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.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 11, 2005

Reviews

[Loreen Niewenhuis]

Guista won the Katharine Bakeless Prize for short fiction for this short story collection in 2004. It's a solid collection with the theme of mental illness and the workings of the brain. Guista has a master's in psychology.

[Arseny Khakhalin · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be honest I couldn't finish this book. Tried like five times. The style is so superficial. The author tries to be deep, to sound deep, and it totally doesn't work; it just makes the text unstructured, and the reading unpleasant.

[Sundry · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book of poetry by my office-mate’s cousin. I especially liked “San Joaquin,” and one about a telephone call.

[Gína Williamsdóttir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little book of short stories.