by Walker Percy
First published 1978
Dr. Tom More has invented something extraordinary: a stethoscope that can detect the ailments of the human soul. Armed with this peculiar instrument, he sets out on a mission to heal what he sees as mankind's deepest malady, a kind of spiritual influenza that has infected society. More believes his device can pinpoint the source of human suffering and guide him toward a cure. His journey becomes a quest to restore meaning and health to a world he perceives as morally and spiritually sick. The novel follows More as he navigates this ambitious undertaking, testing his invention against the complexities of human nature. Percy explores fundamental questions about existence and meaning through More's unusual medical practice. The story examines how life's inherent fragility makes it vulnerable to both accident and deliberation. More's odyssey reveals the tension between his scientific ambitions and the unpredictable reality of human experience.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: quest, unreliable-narrator
Hardcover · Secker & Warburg