The Novel Cure

I'm fascinated by bibliotherapy, the practice of treating a person's ailments, physical or spiritual, with literature. I occasionally check on the School of Life's bibliotherapy service to see if they've made any blog posts recently. So, I was excited when I found out that Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin of that same School of Life bibliotherapy service were publishing a book of their recommendations. I see this as a reference book to consult as needed, not necessarily to be read straight through. I skipped around quite a bit, reading entries that caught my eye, or that had relevance for me.

This is really a lovely book. The writers have a sympathetic tone, touched with humor, and they tell you enough about the book they prescribe to help you see why it is appropriate. Some of their recommendations are unsurprising (Catcher in the Rye for Adolescence, Moby Dick for Obsession), but others are delightful surprises (Peter Carey's Oscar and Lucinda for Outsider, Being An; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for Hayfever, Lolita for Words, Lost for). These recommendations will make you want to read, even if you don't have the ailment in question.

Along with prescriptions for specific ailments, the writers have included lists of best books for various purposes. There are lists for every age group, from teenagers to centenarians, as well as lists like The Ten Best Novels to Drown Out Snoring, The Ten Best Novels to Make You Weep, Ten Best Audiobooks for Road Rage. I discovered that I had read most of the books on the Ten Best Escapist Novels list. What does that say about me?

One last interesting feature: scattered throughout the book are prescriptions for reading ailments, such as Household chores, distracted by, or Read Instead of Live, Tendency to. This is where the seriousness of the book comes through, since only people who are dedicated to reading would recognize these conditions as ailments that need treatment. The advice is also serious, but in the same gentle tone as the rest of the book.

All authors, novels, lists and reading ailments are indexed in the back of the book, so finding what you are looking for is easy.