Descent into Darkness—The Psychodynamics of Mental Illness: An Introduction and Illustration in the Form of a Novel, by Richard D. Chessick, M.D., Ph.D.,  Xlibris, Bloomington, IN, 2011,  297 pp.

This book is a stunning intellectual achievement. In both form and content, it straddles two worlds—art and science. Chessick's primary goal is to teach psycho-dynamics and his intention is to do so through this novel. His reason for using this format is, as he notes in his preface, that individuals in the mental health field read very little. Accordingly, very little, including Freud's work (which Chessick considers “our basic text”) is read in any depth. His hope is that a novel would be a more palatable exposure to the basic ideas and current controversies in psychoanalysis. This is a bit like getting someone to eat broccoli by adding a nice cheese sauce. However, another reason for a novel is one of Chessick's messages; the fullest understanding of the human psyche requires a dialogue between science and the humanities, or as he refers to it, the human sciences. Art is necessary because it can express truths that are inarticulable in another medium.

In keeping with present trends in publishing, Descent into Darkness is currently available only as an e-book. The basic plot of the novel is that Martin, an aging Chicago psychoanalyst with heart disease, receives a grant to lead an educational tour to Turkey. He chose Turkey because he wanted to build upon Freud's metaphor of the mind being similar to archeological layers, where what is new is built on and incorporates the remnants of the past. Modern Turkey is a perfect choice. The region's 10,000-year history of successive civilizations, each built on the ruins of a preceding one; provides both clear examples and a context for the