Brain Work

Michael Guista's emotionally adept, psychologically acute debut collection explores the vast mysteries of the human mind and the fascinating intricacies of the soul. Turning a keen fictional eye to the rich terrain explored by Kay Redfield Jamison and Steven Pinker, Guista confronts modern mind-body dilemmas with an extraordinary mix of compassion for his characters and awe at their situations. A disillusioned psychiatrist discovers too late the folly of his professional obsession with unusual brain injuries. A son confronts the legacy of his father's schizophrenia, with surprising conclusions. An endearing late-life romance blooms between two patients in a nursing facility, one of whom is discovering life anew as the other sinks into the confusion of Alzheimer's. Disquieting, funny, and deeply human, these stories offer wise comment on the ambiguities of life.

Author: Michael Guista
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published: 07/11/2005
Pages: 192
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.40w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780618546725

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 05/01/2005 pg. 495
Ingram Advance 07/01/2005 pg. 44
Booklist 06/01/2005 pg. 1753
New York Times 08/21/2005 pg. 21
Library Journal 07/11/2005

About the Author
Guista, Michael: - Michael Guista holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of California, Irvine, as well as a master's degree in psychology. His work has appeared in American Short Fiction, the North American Review, Quarterly West, Prairie Schooner, and other literary journals. Brain Work was selected by Charles Baxter as the winner of the 2004 Katharine Bakeless Nason Prize for fiction, awarded by Middlebury College and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. A recipient of a fellowship from the California Arts Council, Guista teaches at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California.