Layers

by Nathaniel Branden

Nicholas Holland is an unusual hero—a noted psychologist and author, with a list of best-sellers to his name. After some deeply troubling experiences, however, he finds himself in an ever-deepening spiral of confusion, frustration, and guilt. In desperation he shuts down his own practice and seeks the help of another therapist, Andrew Berringer, who influenced him earlier in his career. Can Berringer help Nicholas escape the abyss into which his life has fallen? Layers is a remarkable work by a remarkable human being, a thought-provoking novel that reveals yet another "layer" to the complex, interwoven fabric that constitutes Nathaniel Branden's life and legacy. He was a leading psychotherapist who inspired thousands by his work with individual patients and his influential books about the psychology of self-esteem and personal growth, and at his death he left a work of fiction—Layers—that reveals what patients seldom the agonizing conflicts within the therapist’s own mind. Layers is a work of compelling psychological insight, a story of one man’s intrepid search for the truth about himself. Branden tells this story with the drama and suspense and sudden beauty that readers expect and deserve from an important work of fiction. Layers is a must for fans of his famous associate, Ayn Rand, and for those who may be encountering Branden’s insightful work for the first time. It vividly illustrates the vital importance of vocation, of doing what you most deeply love and want to do in life, and how badly your life can go awry if you don’t.

227 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 27, 2020

About the author

Nathaniel Branden was a Canadian–American psychotherapist and writer known for his work in the psychology of self-esteem. A former associate and romantic partner of Ayn Rand, Branden also played a prominent role in the 1960s in promoting Rand's philosophy, Objectivism. Rand and Branden split acrimoniously in 1968, after which Branden focused on developing his own psychological theories and modes of therapy.

Reviews

[Bob Bobsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story about a life crisis, deep love and the protagonists dark side. Well paced and never boring, despite the display of deeper psychological insights.
Only the emphasis on how attractive, succesful and intelligent the main character is, was from time to time tiring. Self image of the author himself? :p