Kyle Arnold has written a gripping analysis of Philip K Dick`s work in the context of his psychological torments, and their genesis in his upbringing. Dick barely survived near starvation as an infant, and his twin sister died. His mother blamed him somehow for that death, and many of his other childhood experiences piled on worse. Arnold is convincing when showing how those experiences informed Dick`s fiction. (There are multiple excellent examples.)
He goes a little over the top when he psychoanalyzes Dicks behavior, in places almost trying to explain it away rather than just explain it. (Dick was a charming misogynist and drug addict, battling mental illness his entire life.) Never the less, this is a thorough, though-provoking addition to PKD criticism.
Recommended particularly for devotees of PKD's fiction.
I received a free e-book of this title in exchange for a review.
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