Monday, December 29, 2008

#1: Pharmakon by Dirk Wittenborn

Pharmakon, by Dirk Wittenborn, traces the path of a family from the 50's as they pass through time. Dr. William Friedrich is an ambitious professor from Yale. He hears about a natural wonder drug used by the natives of New Guinea to bring on happiness, and teams up with another scientist named Bunny Winton to research this drug, known as The Way Home. They conduct trials for this drug, which they deem successful until there is an adverse reaction in a formerly depressed Yale undergrad named Casper Gedsic. Casper's actions change the course of life for the Friedrich family forever.

After the drug trial and its failure, the novel shifts perspective to that of Zach Friedrich, Will's youngest son. It follows him as he deals with his family and their varying needs. Zach begins as a young child and progresses through a prep school education in the 60's as he watches the decisions his older siblings make. The coming of age portion of the novel was very interesting, as it detailed the interactions of a complex and unusual family.

Finally, the book shifts perspective again, this time to a grown up Zach. He has many problems resulting from substance abuse. It also shows where all of the siblings are in their lives. The problem I had was that it jumped way ahead in time, with limited backfill of details. I would have preferred to follow Zach in a more linear progression, even if it added to the length of the book.

Overall, I thought Pharmakon was an enjoyable book. However, I would have enjoyed it more if the ending matched up to the level of the rest of the book.