MY FAMOUS BRAIN

In Wald’s novel, the spirit of a recently deceased psychology professor looks back on his life and career, the women he loved, and the tumor that killed him.

When Jack MacLeod died, he “expected to have the mysteries of the universe open up to me like water lilies in the sunlight, but, alas, that isn’t what happened at all.” Despite his demise, he’s still contemplating his life as a 40-ish, bespectacled, unhappily married professor at a New Jersey college. At the end of his time on Earth, he was suffering from a benign but inoperable brain tumor. Stoic and in a somber environment, Jack was always happy to see Eliza, a quiet, determined student.At the same time, his marriage was ending, as his wife, Frances, never thought he was ever rich or successful enough. As Jack deteriorated, he had some regrets: He wished that he’d known his two sons better and that he could have pursued an extramarital affair with Eliza. He also ruminated about Wally Mussel, the despicable head of the psychology department—a grotesque beast of a man who may be blackmailing someone and is likely responsible for worse offenses. His reign of terror also began to directly affect Jack’s life, but he hatched a secret plan with a beloved colleague to expose Mussel for what he was. Wald’s evocative novel manages to deftly capture the mood and myriad voices of the academic world; however, it also narrows its focus to delve deeply into the sensitive mind of its introspective protagonist. Jack is certainly an intelligent, if somewhat sedate, man, and his varied experiences with three different women are depicted out of sequence by a writer who understands timing as much as she does a beautifully crafted sentence. Jack’s life is a serious and pensive one, and it doesn’t end well, but there are flashes of dark humor over the course of the narrative that make it very appealing.

A sensitive and moody take on personal connections between loved ones.