THE WORLD ABOVE

by Abraham Polonsky ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 27, 1951

An unruly, undisciplined novel of a doctor and his scientifically selfless pursuits in the field of psychotherapy, this tells the story of Carl Myers who goes his own way with the absorption of an Arrowsmith. A gaunt, sometimes glum, figure, Myers is forced to shelve his first experiment during the depression, later goes to Vienna and takes up where Freud left off. In so doing, he leaves Sandy, his mistress, to marry his closest friend, but finds her ready to resume their old relationship on his return. This follows down through his years with and without Sandy, in a hospital when he bypasses private practice, overseas during the war, and later in a Veterans' Hospital where his new approach to mental therapy invites political persecution. Carl, refusing to compromise, is again the victim of an embittering experience, but finds solace this time in Juley, the wife of his dead brother. Overblown (""a viscous, hydraulic fluid seemed to flow thickly within his flesh"") this is also overlong and only intermittently interesting.

Pub Date: March 27, 1951

ISBN: 0252068068

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1951

Categories: FICTION