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A Private Sorcery
“Every now and then a new voice comes along that makes sense of our deep need for stories and their tellers. Lisa Gornick is one of those voices…A Private Sorcery is a wonderfully honest book, deeply felt, with characters carved from the true stuff of what we are. A first-rate novel.”
—Colum McCann, National Book Award-winning author of TransAtlantic and Let the Great World Spin
Saul Dubinsky, a sensitive, shy psychiatrist, was living a dual life. Following the attempted suicide of one of his patients, the dedicated young doctor turned to drugs. When he’s arrested on criminal charges, his wife and his father are left to figure out how things went so wrong and why they were blind to the pain of the man they both love.
Saul’s emotionally remote wife, Rena, confronts the failures of their marriage and, for the first time, faces her shame about her fatherless, hardscrabble past. Saul’s father, Leonard, who’d long ago given up practicing psychiatry, blames himself for his son’s breakdown. He finds that he can no longer escape the memory of the troubled patient who changed the course of his own career nor deny his complicity in his wife’s illness. As Rena and Leonard each grapple with the impact of Saul’s arrest, they are drawn closer together-and a delicate transformation begins to occur in each of them.
This is an immensely satisfying and ultimately triumphant story abouat the precarious balance within a family and about the unconscious ways in which we affect the lives of those we love most. Full of wisdom and insight, A PRIVATE SORCERY marks the debut of a talented writer.
—Colum McCann, National Book Award-winning author of TransAtlantic and Let the Great World Spin
Saul Dubinsky, a sensitive, shy psychiatrist, was living a dual life. Following the attempted suicide of one of his patients, the dedicated young doctor turned to drugs. When he’s arrested on criminal charges, his wife and his father are left to figure out how things went so wrong and why they were blind to the pain of the man they both love.
Saul’s emotionally remote wife, Rena, confronts the failures of their marriage and, for the first time, faces her shame about her fatherless, hardscrabble past. Saul’s father, Leonard, who’d long ago given up practicing psychiatry, blames himself for his son’s breakdown. He finds that he can no longer escape the memory of the troubled patient who changed the course of his own career nor deny his complicity in his wife’s illness. As Rena and Leonard each grapple with the impact of Saul’s arrest, they are drawn closer together-and a delicate transformation begins to occur in each of them.
This is an immensely satisfying and ultimately triumphant story abouat the precarious balance within a family and about the unconscious ways in which we affect the lives of those we love most. Full of wisdom and insight, A PRIVATE SORCERY marks the debut of a talented writer.
- GenresFiction
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
9 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Gornick
6 books124 followersLisa Gornick has been hailed by NPR as "one of the most perceptive, compassionate writers of fiction in America...immensely talented and brave." She is the author of an upcoming novel, ANA TURNS (Turner Publishing, November 7), as well as THE PEACOCK FEAST (FSG), LOUISA MEETS BEAR (FSG), TINDERBOX (FSG), and A PRIVATE SORCERY (Algonquin). Her stories and essays have appeared widely, including in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Paris Review, Real Simple, and Slate. A graduate of the Yale clinical psychology program and the psychoanalytic training program at Columbia, where she is on the faculty, she was for many years a practicing psychotherapist and psychoanalyst. She lives in New York City with her family. You can learn more about Lisa and her work at lisagornickauthor.com.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 23, 2019
I loved this book with my heart and mind.
This book reveals itself in layers. It is rich with meaning, conveyed well in paragraphs and sentences that brought me to reread, reflect, and highlight. This is a book I will read twice, something I rarely do. This is an author I would love to have lunch with...so many questions on process and the insight clearly behind this story. This is a book I could not put down. It is a really good book.
This book reveals itself in layers. It is rich with meaning, conveyed well in paragraphs and sentences that brought me to reread, reflect, and highlight. This is a book I will read twice, something I rarely do. This is an author I would love to have lunch with...so many questions on process and the insight clearly behind this story. This is a book I could not put down. It is a really good book.
November 13, 2018
A wonderful, winding tale of love, loss and redemption.
August 3, 2022
This book is a dense read: in a good way.
One reason is that two of the characters are trained psychiatrists, so psychoanalysis in the context of the characters is inevitable. The other reason is that both of the main characters refer often to the past, and the reader has to pay attention to put all the pieces together.
I found the inherent decency of the characters, apparent by the end at least, to be a pleasant surprise. Things certainly don't start out on a promising note with Saul's arrest. This sense of decency upholds the premise that human beings are inherently good, a reward to the reader.
One reason is that two of the characters are trained psychiatrists, so psychoanalysis in the context of the characters is inevitable. The other reason is that both of the main characters refer often to the past, and the reader has to pay attention to put all the pieces together.
I found the inherent decency of the characters, apparent by the end at least, to be a pleasant surprise. Things certainly don't start out on a promising note with Saul's arrest. This sense of decency upholds the premise that human beings are inherently good, a reward to the reader.
May 27, 2015
This turned out to be a very sweet book -- one where the interlinkages between characters and generations is important, and the individuals evolve, in somewhat unexpected ways. There are a number of plot points, which I won't try to lay out here.
I can't remember why I requested this book from the libraary -- it's not my usual fare -- but it was obviously well recommended. I would recommend it as well.
I can't remember why I requested this book from the libraary -- it's not my usual fare -- but it was obviously well recommended. I would recommend it as well.
October 1, 2013
Lisa Gornick's first novel is a gripping psychological drama that just drew me in, and wouldn't release me until completion. Her creation of characters and relationships was complex yet satisfied as the plot unfolded.
I am looking forward to her next novel, "Tinderbox," reported to be released sometime this fall (2013).
I am looking forward to her next novel, "Tinderbox," reported to be released sometime this fall (2013).
October 1, 2013
Saul Dubinsky is the face of a man who's real personality is conflicted and troubled. This book is a love story of sorts. It is a psychological love story of a couple who confront personal tragedy and hardship together.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews