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The Listener: A Psychoanalyst Examines His Life
A successful psychologist turns his "listener" gift inward, confronting the tyranny of his father, his relationship with an overprotective mother, and the personal revelations that eventually propelled him into psychology
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 23, 2016
Subtitle: A Psychoanalyst Examines His Life
In this brooding memoir, an aging psychoanalyst looks back on his bleak formative years growing up in poverty in Texas during the 1920s. His father, a physician who was unable to sustain a practice because of bad health (tuberculosis), was bedridden throughout much of Wheelis's boyhood. He was a severe taskmaster, once making his son cut the grass in the yard with a razor, which took the entire summer to complete. Throughout these years, Wheelis's long-suffering mother takes care of her husband until his death at age 43. I thought this part of the book--Wheelis's boyhood and young adulthood, and his emotionally incestuous relationship with his mother, who became increasingly dependent on him--was interesting.
As the book progresses, it becomes apparent that Wheelis, now an old man, was never able to overcome the cruelty inflicted on him by his father, and the resulting emotional damage it caused. He’s unable to just let go and fully live his life. Even though he loves his wife and children, there's a part of him that remains aloof and distant. He's like a modern Prometheus, a would-be bearer of fire and light, forever chained to the rock of his past as the rapacious ghost of his father tears at his liver. In the last part of the book, Wheelis's style of writing began to grate on my nerves, as did his repetitious, pessimistic musings. It reminded me of someone who longs to write the Great American Novel but lacks the creative talent and passion to pull it off. Eight out of eight Amazon readers gave this book a 5-star rating. I can give it only 3-stars.
In this brooding memoir, an aging psychoanalyst looks back on his bleak formative years growing up in poverty in Texas during the 1920s. His father, a physician who was unable to sustain a practice because of bad health (tuberculosis), was bedridden throughout much of Wheelis's boyhood. He was a severe taskmaster, once making his son cut the grass in the yard with a razor, which took the entire summer to complete. Throughout these years, Wheelis's long-suffering mother takes care of her husband until his death at age 43. I thought this part of the book--Wheelis's boyhood and young adulthood, and his emotionally incestuous relationship with his mother, who became increasingly dependent on him--was interesting.
As the book progresses, it becomes apparent that Wheelis, now an old man, was never able to overcome the cruelty inflicted on him by his father, and the resulting emotional damage it caused. He’s unable to just let go and fully live his life. Even though he loves his wife and children, there's a part of him that remains aloof and distant. He's like a modern Prometheus, a would-be bearer of fire and light, forever chained to the rock of his past as the rapacious ghost of his father tears at his liver. In the last part of the book, Wheelis's style of writing began to grate on my nerves, as did his repetitious, pessimistic musings. It reminded me of someone who longs to write the Great American Novel but lacks the creative talent and passion to pull it off. Eight out of eight Amazon readers gave this book a 5-star rating. I can give it only 3-stars.
February 16, 2021
One of the most exquisite, deep and insightful books I have ever read. Love Wheelis’ work.
January 4, 2008
I found out that Allen Wheelis died in the summer of 2007--I always thought of him after reading this,and several of his books,..he stays with you....
October 2, 2017
Stories at the beginning were good. Last third depressing. Not really wanting to meditate on death right now.
March 30, 2009
I found this book interesting...and also quite depressing. Wheelis is an aging psychiatrist who reflects on his very painful childhood including his abusive father and smothering mother. While he writes with vulnerability and some eloquence, his message of despair did not endear me to the work. (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews