Jonathan Harnisch Podcast

Jonathan Harnisch: An Alibiography: Book ReviewThe author of this deeply moving portrait of a schizophrenic is afflicted himself with schizoaffective disorder, Tourette's Syndrome and a few other things. Jonathan Harnisch even calls himself “the king of mental illness.” Given those obstacles, it's a wonder he can write anything, much less a semi-autobiographical novel as fiercely intelligent and finely crafted as this one. First, a caveat: At 803 pages, Harnisch's cleverly named “alibiography” contains all the repetitions and anomalies you might expect from a writer with serious demons. There's also some gibberish. Sample: “Make it and makeshift it. Prototype it! Grab it! Snag it!” Little matter. The protagonist, a disturbed trust-funder named Benjamin J. Schreiber, who has a self-destructive alter ego called Georgie Gust boiling inside his head, may be the most compelling character in the literature of madness since A Beautiful Mind's John Nash. Unable to cope with dark childhood traumas, reclusive Ben trans