cover image Brain: The Man Who Wrote the Book that Changed the World

Brain: The Man Who Wrote the Book that Changed the World

Dermot Davis. Expression Unleashed, $9.59 paper (217p) ISBN 978-0-9844181-3-8

Daniel Waterstone is struggling to write the great American novel. While his agent, Suzanne, believes he has talent, his books have no commercial success. In a fit of despair at the state of modern literature, he decides to write a parody of a self-help book under a pseudonym. This is the book that becomes a bestseller. While he knows it's wrong, Daniel assumes the identity of his pen name%E2%80%94Charles Spectrum, self-help guru%E2%80%94finding it impossible to say no to the money and the prestige. He falls for a woman named Clare, who found his book helpful, but he remains disdainful of the rest of his fans until Clare takes him to meet some of the people he's helped. As Daniel becomes overwhelmed by the guru business, Suzanne's thug brother, Jack, tries to kill him and he realizes the only way he will ever be free is to reveal his hoax on national television. Daniel is an affable protagonist%E2%80%94a bit self-obsessed, but basically decent. Davis's novel is an entertaining farce about modern society, a deft, fast-paced tale that will leave self-aware readers giggling. This is an entertaining book that will reward readers.