The College Shrink

Debut author Haylon offers a novel about a troubled college therapist and her clients.

Emily Metcalf is employed as a psychologist at an elite institute of higher learning in New Jersey. She loves her job and her daughters and is mostly content with her life. Then her husband, a teacher at a private school, is involved in a scandal that ends their marriage, and Emily finds herself leaning on her clients for emotional support as much as they lean on her, which leads to problematic situations. At the start of the narrative, Emily is a likable character who tries her best to help others, even while struggling herself—a sensitive soul who notices “the notable and the obtuse.” In the elite world of higher education, she attempts to help students navigate their interactions, expectations, and futures, and her patients are complex characters whom readers will find engaging. The cast includes Jelly, who comes to therapy to find a way to break up with her boyfriend; Mana, a high-achieving student from Nepal grappling with guilt; and Henry, an emeritus professor of literature facing mortality and grief. Meanwhile, Emily tries to find a way to move forward after the destruction of her marriage. As the novel progresses, the lives of Emily’s clients intertwine, and they find refuge in one another when Emily begins to fail them. Haylon has a distinctive narrative voice—attentive, witty, and all-knowing—and he wields perspective effectively, weaving the reader into the narrative as an active observer. He also compellingly presents characters’ backstories with a storyteller’s flair. His handling of the story’s setting is also strong, as he clearly understands academia and all of its quirks—from the admissions processes to the lack of adequate mental health care to the daunting demands on today’s students.

A fine read about dynamic characters coping with trying times, featuring astute narration.