Treat

Author: David Lodge
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: The story of Therapy is entirely told through diaries written from the protagonist's "authoritative" perspective. The protagonist is a mid-forties television writer named Lawrence Pasmore, but due to his bald head and short, chubby stature, he is nicknamed "Bumper" among his peers. Bumper's sitcom Neighbors was a huge success, and it seemed that other aspects of his life were equally successful—his royalties "flowed into my bank account like water from a tap," he had a fit, university-lecturing wife, a family to envy, a luxury car, a grand suburban villa, and an apartment in London. He even had a platonic lover. However, he "felt unhappy most of the time" and was troubled by a mysterious knee pain. He had tried almost every psychological therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy, physiotherapy, yoga, aromatherapy, acupuncture, and even undergone knee arthroscopy, but all in vain. His wife, who had always been loyal to him—or whom he believed to be loyal—suddenly proposed a divorce, stating that she could no longer tolerate living with him. His life had fallen into an unprecedented crisis. He developed jealousy, followed his wife's tennis coach and broke into his home late at night, only to become the subject of tabloid gossip; he became obsessed with seeking resonance in Kierkegaard's works and life; he traveled nonstop to Hollywood, Tenerife in Spain, and Copenhagen, desperately seeking sexual partners to compensate for his broken marriage, only to end up in ridicule and return empty-handed; he followed his doctor's advice to keep a diary and write a memoir; he traveled great distances to track down his first love, who was on a pilgrimage.