Novel Cure

At first glance, bibliotherapy, or using fiction to solve life's ailments, seems more theoretical than practical. In 'The Novel Cure', Susan Elderkin, Ella Berthound and Indrajit Hazra claim to do just this. Calling it a medical handbook with a difference, it is a book that calls to the higher powers that reside in fiction novels. The prescription is quite simple, really. Elderkin, Berthound and Hazra push their readers towards stories, characters, and settings that they are certain can provide cures or deliver relief from symptoms.

For me, these dosages of the written word proved to be a cure-all. I picked up my copy of 'The Novel Cure' at a time when I was struggling to recover my reading habits. The year was 2018. At the start of the new semester, I was succumbing to the demands of the full workload of an upperclassman. I found myself in a labyrinth, trying to navigate through mountains of assignments, a dearth of sleep, and the anxieties that accompany a 20-year old's social life. The comfort that I had once found in fiction was something I didn't have time for anymore. Grappling with existential angst and looming deadlines, I turned to Elderkin, Berthound and Hazra's expertise for a classic case of an inability to cope. To unpack my moments of confusion, 'The Novel Cure' recommended 'August' by Gerard Woodward. 'August' tells the story of Colette at a testing time in her life. Colette's ability of multi-tasking and remaining calm in the face of crisis, that comes naturally to the mother of four, starts falling apart when she finds an escape in sniffing glue. It is an addiction that unsettles the stability of her home. Soon, her husband and children struggle to cope with her muddled behaviour and their individual problems. Still, the novel retains the love shared by the family. Colette's story reminded me to re-think my priorities and to plan the rest. As promised in my prescription, the novel helped me remember that all my mental faculties were intact and in its comforting manner, supported me in unravelling some of the racket in my head.

Along with providing respite from many problems like mine, the book also offers advice on reading issues. If you are not able to find the time to read, or wish to find the most important books of the decade, 'The Novel Cure' provides the perfect remedies. In this Indian edition of the book, the authors have expanded their treasure. One can easily find solutions to some purely desi problems like an obsession with cricket or the big question of an arranged marriage.

Indrajit Hazra

Indrajit Hazra is a novelist and journalist. His novels The Burnt Forehead of Max Saul (2000), The Garden of Earthly Delights (2003) and The Bioscope Man (2008) have been described by critics as "stamped by trenchant black humour" and "[original prose with] mad images hyperlinked to other mad images", one reviewer stating that "few (Bengali) writers writing in English are able to capture that sense of decay and temper it with that quintessential Bengali humour the way Hazra can". He is also the author of Grand Delusions: A Short Biography of Kolkata (2012). He is a columnist for The Economic Times where he writes 'Red Herring' every alternate Mondays. He lives in New Delhi and has been at it trying to finish his latest book that involves missing children and (a sort of) time travel. He blogs on http://blogs.economictimes.ind...