Darren Angelo

Land of the Average Bears Darren Angelo

This novel offers an intimate look at mental health care, the profession as well as the process itself. The reader can see how therapeutic concepts are tailored to meet a wide range of issues. Dominic Picorelli, a thirty-four year old psychotherapist from Los Angeles, has recently married and moved to Seattle. His wife, Norah, a surgical nurse, is hired at one of the big hospitals downtown, and he gets a job at a private psychiatric hospital in a rural setting at the north end of Lake Washington. Dominic and Norah are delighted with their new home, including the weather. Free time is spent exploring the Pacific Northwest. As they observe babies going by, they wonder what they are going to do. Dominic leads with his head but has a lot of heart. As he sees it, the primary goal of therapy is to teach a person how to value their efforts in a way which fosters continued learning, what he calls 'emotional education'. This novel covers a year at Crestview Psychiatric Hospital, the lives of the patients and the work of the staff. It is compelling, and thus memorable.