Dr. Neruda's Cure for Evil

by Rafael Yglesias

 


The critically acclaimed novel from a master of contemporary American fiction—now available as an ebook
A suspenseful novel of ideas that explores the limitations of science, the origins of immorality, and the ultimate unknowability of the human psyche
 

Rafael Neruda is a brilliant psychiatrist renowned for his effective treatment of former child-abuse victims. Apart from his talent as an analyst, he’s deeply empathetic—he himself has been a victim of abuse. Gene Kenny is simply one more patient that Dr. Neruda has “cured” of past trauma. And then Kenny commits a terrible crime. Desperate to find out why, Dr. Neruda must shed the standards of his training, risking his own sanity in uncovering the disturbing secrets of Kenny’s former life.
 
Structured as actual case studies and steeped in the history of psychoanalysis, Dr. Neruda’s Cure for Evil is Yglesias’s most formally and intellectually ambitious novel.
 
This ebook features a new illustrated biography of Rafael Yglesias, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection. 

Genres: Fiction, Psychology, Mystery, American, Suspense, Literary Fiction, Novels

700 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Rafael Yglesias (b. 1954) is a master American storyteller whose career began with the publication of his first novel, Hide Fox, and All After, at seventeen. Through four decades Yglesias has produced numerous highly acclaimed novels, including the New York Times bestseller Fearless, which was adapted into the film starring Jeff Bridges and Rosie Perez. He lives on New York City’s Upper East Side.

Reviews

[Shane Vanoosterhout · Rating 3 out of 5]

I waver between 3 and 4 stars. I'm settling with 3 because I think many people will be baffled by this book. If you define yourself as a person who "likes to know what makes people tick" then I'd definitely recommend it. I am fascinated by psychology and the analyses of the human psyche. Be prepared for what may seem like countless sidebars--the narrator analyses himself and his characters from beginning to end. Objectively the novel feels like two stories--the protagonist's (Raphael Neruda) astonishing childhood and then his adult life as a psychotherapist who treats a "neurotic" individual who commits murder/suicide, and then a sadistic father and his narcissistic daughter. How much of Dr. Neruda's effectiveness as a therapist is due to his own shocking childhood? Are his unconventional treatment methods admirable or deplorable? Evil, he comes to realize, is a psychological disorder that must be addressed through treatment.

[Rangies3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seriously? This started so beautifully. Yglesias writes so vividly with such color, and I enjoyed the imagery in the first segment if the book. The plausibility began dissolving slowly in the second segment. Evil Disorder? Sociopaths. The protagonist is no better than his "patients" by the end. And I cannot believe Albert would have been tortured through his childhood and have committed such unthinkable crimes, yet come out fully recovered as a pristine student, athlete, and model citizen after mere months of psychotherapy.

[Priya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly the credibility of both plot of protagonist's sanity are questionable, however the text proves to be immensely intriguing and enthralling, perhaps more so through the dynamic of poking (elbowing) the sides of our mentalities. The semi-clinical premise is an interesting canvas and following the protagonist through his convolutions is actually enjoyable—sort of Alice in Wonderland meets Sherlock Holmes in a rather didactic tone.

[Tarrastarr · Rating 1 out of 5]

the ending of this book was really really bad. it was completely different than the begining, i felt like i was reading two separate stories. his take on psychology started off interesting but ended up so convoluted and gimmicky that i felt embarrased for him. i dont think ive ever rolled my eyes at an author before while reading thier book. but god damn... sheesh.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a psychological tour de force. If you are into psychology you should enjoy this thought-provoking book. I liked the way psychiatrist uses reverse psychology to get through to the "evil" people he encounters. The book is a long one, and it is NOT a thriller, so if you are looking for action this book isn't for you.

[Genna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a while - this is a BIG book - but I finally made it! And yet I'm not sure what to make of it. As other reviews have said, the book is split into three parts. The beginning is an in-depth and interesting look into the upbringing of a young boy (Rafe) with mixed heritage: Jew and Latino and mixed family ideals: Communist vs Capitalist in c.1960s America. It is the story of how the adults in his life influenced his development and affected his psyche. The story then moves on to Rafe as a man and a practising psychologist - particularly his work with the ineffectual Gene. I continued to enjoy this section. Reflecting back on it I believe Gene was meant to be the "mirror" of Rafe and so Rafe projected all of his own negative traits onto him. Because of this Rafe admits to disliking Gene yet goes above-and-beyond in accommodating him and trying to cure him of his apparent neurosis - perhaps he sees curing Gene as the ultimate cure for himself? (Or perhaps I'm reading too much into it, that's kind of the effect the book has on you i.e. over-analysing everything!)
Anyway it all goes horribly wrong or, the more technical term would be, "tits up" when Gene - finally free of the neurosis actually can't cope without this protective barrier and so commits murder suicide.
Part three is focused on Rafe attempting to discover where he went wrong by inserting himself into Gene's life by harassing his ex-boss and the boss's daughter who had been Gene's lover as well as his other workmates. At this point, I really began to wonder what his purpose was - was it a selfish and/or neurotic need to uncover what had gone wrong? Was it a desire to avenge Gene's death (and the treatment that had triggered his self-destruction)? Was it a wider need to somehow "improve" this small section of the capitalist world to impress his estranged father? I'm still not sure - was there deeper meaning to his chosen targets (the boss and daughter) - was the boss a representation of the overbearing uncle from Rafe's past or the unreachable "God-like" father from his childhood? Was the daughter a representation of his damaged and abusive mother? Did he want to change them for that purpose? Whatever the reason. Rafe decides these two individuals are, in fact, "evil" and need to be stripped (through highly unethical and questionable techniques) of their narcissistic layers and thus be reduced to the vulnerable child within.
Whatever his motive, by submitting them to this non-consensual experiment Rafe shows himself to be an expert manipulator and self-righteous, immoral control-freak which would suggest he too is acting on narcissistic impulses. Maybe THIS is the point??

Anyway, as I work in mental health I liked the sound of this book and did enjoy much of the psycho-babble but, as I've said, the third part got my brain in a muddle.

[Nik Maack · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, I want to describe the book, and give away zero plot. Which is tough with this one.

It's well written, intriguing, and disturbing to anyone who has ever been in therapy. A deep dive into the fictional mind of a troubled therapist. That's as good a summary as any, I suppose.

There are some plot points that don't quite work, feeling more than a little forced. Something has to happen for the plot to continue, so the author hammers it into place, even though the pieces of the puzzle don't quite fit. In the same vein, I read a passage of five pages and found myself thinking, "Well, someone has been doing some research for his novel!" Again, that weird feeling of tone being off just a little, the pieces not quite fitting. Contrived, overly calculated, not quite fitting.

All the same, it was a fascinating read. Yglesias keeps the story moving, so the flaws don't really stick. And rare is the book that has me gasp out loud on the bus, both amused and horrified by what I'm reading. And when I tried to explain to my wife what set me off, I realize I am in deep and weird waters.

One example... The main character of the book is also named Rafael, just like the author. How am I to process that? What was behind that choice?

It's not a perfect book. But anyone who can keep me reading for 700 pages has done something right. And I am intrigued enough by the book that I'll be looking for more by this author.

I should probably mention that I've been in therapy for years, and I'm obsessed with all things therapy, which is why I grabbed this book in the first place. There's a couch on the cover. Enough said.

[Liz Lightfoot · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I do my book count in December 2020 this will count for two! Having said that, I read it as fast as I've read any book. So good. The story that Yglesias tells is so compelling. I'm not sure, however, how he got from the beginning of the book to the very end, but I don't care, I loved the journey.

I wish I could talk with the author about this book. There's just so much going on! How much research did he have to do? How long did it take him to write it? How long to recover from writing it? This book is now almost 25 years old--I'd love to know how he feels about it with the distance of time and life and other books written.

[Ron Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an interesting read - at points. There are some good takes on psychology - at points. Then there are gigantic leaps that have nothing to do with psychology. Some of the characters start off believable and then become parodies or worse - including the main character. A really good editor might have made this book a marvel, but not as it stands.

[Kathy Roaleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book was like reading Animal Farm when I was in high school.

I loved it and I hated it. I'm a therapist who specializes in trauma as well. I loved the book because it was so well written. Ok hated it because the "hero" was just as unethical as the people he deemed evil. However-it did keep me reading. It was a creative train wreck.

[marg · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF
70% into the novel then shelved it.
It started out strong, well paced, lively plot.
It’s one of those novels that are sorely in need of a good editor to trim down 700 pages to 300.
This Kindle version had at least a dozen typos etc.
Not to be pedantic but it is distracting.

Not recommended.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complex, stirring, disturbing - all in a good way.

[Virginia Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good writer

Loved this novel. The first I have read and recommended to many friends. Interesting culture issues that give the story a lot of soul

[Mary Weber · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is composed of 3 sections. I made it to the 3rd section and then realized I didn't care and there is so many other books to read. DNF

[Maximiliane Piontek]

dnf

[N. Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep in mind that this rating only applies to me - I don't recommend it to everyone. Now having mentioned the obvious disclaimer, I can say that this one of the few books I have earmarked for re-reading. If you are interested in psycho-analysis, then there's plenty of stuff here.

The book has three main parts, which correspond to three main stories, but embedded in each part are numerous other stories touching on the issues of child abuse, the prescribing of Ritalin for children, and the banal evil of people who manage to make getting ahead in life their main priority. That's what makes the book so rich, that and the perceptive psychological insights.

One element that made me uneasy was the narrator's incestuous relationship with his mother. Because the narrator has the same name as the author, and the characters that are the narrator's parents correspond almost exactly to the author's real parents, it made me feel a bit voyeuristic and embarrassed.

Again, I stress that this is not a novel with a simple plot that goes from beginning to end, but a collection of experiences that surround the life of the protagonist. For me this was a rich reading experience.

[S.A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This big book has sat on my shelf for years. Time to tackle it.

May 17th: I tackled the massive book. What an uneven book. Yglesias is a sly writer. At a point where the reader is ready to quit, he adds spice in the form of a sudden childhood recollection, violence, or other conceits so odd they made me wonder when the book took a comic turn.

I'm fine with ambiguous endings. I don't need everything tied in a tidy bow but limp dick endings are always unwelcome.

This book missed the last gas station and sputtered to a stop in the middle of the road. The story fell over, broke an axle and gave up in a massive steam cloud.

I often laugh when folks claim they threw the book across the room in disgust. If I threw this monster I'd dent the wall.

Perhaps the author will release the 400 page version and cut out the meandering passages. I might recommend that version.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't help but think that Dr. Neruda was a psychopath himself, with his abusive childhood, inability to separate his professional and private lives, and frankly creepy methods of "curing evil." Although I really enjoyed the first part of the book, which dealt with early adolescent development, I felt a pervasive sense of foreboding as Rafe slowly but surely slipped back toward his disturbed early childhood ideation as he went deeper into the rabbit hole, losing himself in the process of "curing" two people vital to the story of his previous client.

I felt the book went heavy into the psycho-jargon, but was overall an interesting premise. Although you end by loving none of the characters, perhaps the point is to force us all to think about the latent evil inside of us all? Overall impression: great beginning, slow in the middle, disturbing throughout but definitely by the end.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am still so moved by this book. I am rarely affected by literature (and this book certainly qualifies as capital-L Literature), but here I was. I found myself re-telling the incredible story to others, and wishing someone else I knew had read it so we could discuss it. I am an Yglesias fan for life. Not to gush, but I seriously was considering writing this author to let him know his labor has truly affected me, and will haunt me for a long time.

[Meera · Rating 1 out of 5]

Made it through about 200 pages, which I think is sufficient to know I'm not going to start liking this self-conscious, contrived tome any better. The irritating thing is that I can't remember where the recommendation that I might like this book originally came from, so I don't know whom or what to blame. :)

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was too long for me. I know, it was following the premise that psycho-analysis is a long process, but I would have loved to see it written in about half the pages. I liked the story and the idea, I like the execution in places but in others it dragged and I couldn't wait to be done. That being said, it is my second time reading it so it was good enough to read twice.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It is sick, and twisted, and based on the author's real life. He talks about his childhood growing up, and living with his mother, and falling in love with a family member....but you have to read it to find out who it is.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book that works on many levels, including a narrative that in many ways parallels the process of analysis. There are amazing discoveries in this book about the concept of evil and how honorable and kind people harbor evil tendencies.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was captivated from the first page - this is somewhat of a family saga with twists and turns. I will admit that some of the chapters were hard to get through but overall an entertaining read. It speaks to our human nature and the things we carry with us from childhood.

[Notcathy J · Rating 1 out of 5]

"muddy & mundane"

[Paul Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um. Somewhere between John Irving and Phillip Roth - but a psych thriller -sort of. ( I guess I should add those authors now...)

[Jessamine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've gotta try and get my Aunt Haven to read this book so she can tell me how much of it is bullshit.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable, chilling, affecting.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm actually thinking of re-reading it. Has anyone else read it?

[J. Ewbank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Yglesias is very unusual but very interesting and I enjoyed reading it.