Satan, His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, J.S.P.S.
Satan: His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, J.S.P.S. (ISBN 978-0595145065) is a 496-page book written in 1982 by Jeremy Leven. The book focuses around the central character, Dr. Kassler, a somewhat disheveled psychiatrist with many personal problems. Kassler is commissioned by the Dark Prince himself to administer psychotherapy. Satan is convinced that being the opponent of God is hard work and that he really just needs someone to listen to his tragic story. In return, he offers Kassler the answer every human seeks: what happens to us after death?
Plot
The book opens with Sy Kassler (not yet Dr. Sy Kassler) traveling to Italy to visit his father. The first few scenes of the book reveal the exposition that eventually leads to Sy's demise: Sy convinces a young, busty, Italian-speaking maiden into his hotel room. When he awakes, he realizes that she has taken his money from his wallet and given him the lifelong gift of an STI. After this, Sy meets up with his father in a local art museum. While in his father's presence, Sy cannot help but feel as though he is a mere screw-up. With psychology and paternal guidance as his tools at hand, Sy's father is finally able to shoo away his son.
Once outside the art museum, Kassler senior tells his son how he feels regarding their relationship. He then proceeds to die.
His father's sudden and unexpected death forces Sy to undergo a mental breakdown, followed by a self-analysis on his existence. This ultimately leads Sy to his last resort and a seeming epiphany of all sorts, considering the harsh circumstances of the situation: medical school. Sy decides to go back to school and obtain his degree in psychotherapy.
After a considerable amount of time, and while suffering incredible personal difficulties involving his wife and children—including a trial judging his fitness for custody—Kassler assumes a job at a mental hospital. There, Kassler counsels Satan, who really just wants to tell his story to the good doctor. Satan longs for everlasting empathy and is therefore convinced that if he can just get someone to listen to his story, humankind will understand his perspective. In return, Satan promises to answer the question of life after death.
The rest of the novel follows the characters and how they are each changed through their newfound relationship with Satan. The resolution concentrates on Dr. Kassler's slow descent into madness and later Hell on Earth.
Characters (major)
Dr. Sy Kassler
A somewhat harrowed psychotherapist who is called on by the creation of Dr. Leo Szlyck, a large brain-like computer which believes he is Satan, to administer psychotherapy. The computer/Satan deems being the opponent of God is a tough job and that he deserves empathy from the people of Earth.
Dr. Leo Szlyck
A renowned Romanian-American scientist who is employed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, until various scandalous behaviors prompt his being fired. While dreaming, Szlyck envisions a machine with synapse-like circuits, a monstrous device with unknown power. After spending quite a good deal of time building the machine, he debates over whether he should turn it on, believing it could be a weapon of immense power. Against his better judgement, he does, and Leo is greeted by the giant machine that calls itself Satan.
Satan/Beelzebub/the Dark Prince/Szlyck's creation
"It's not easy being Satan", says poor Satan. Being the only enemy of God is a difficult job. Everyone seems to hate him, paying no mind to the fact that he is only doing his job, and aptly at that. Satan is the manifestation of logic, while God is the manifestation of pleasure. The two have been pitted against each other since the beginning of time, and it has only recently begun to take its toll on him.
Lupa Donati
A "classy" blonde who falls in love with Satan and, later, with Kassler, whom she supports emotionally.
Vita Volpe Kassler
A sexy, buxom black-haired student, a fellow in Kassler's college psychoanalysis class. They fall in love, get married, and have two children. She decides right after they are married that she hates Sy and is unfaithful to him, especially with Sam Zelazo; she moves out, taking their son and daughter, and is a neglectful mother.
Sam Zelazo
Szlyck's "mortal enemy, from way back when they were both students in their native Romania", a psychiatrist, he seduces Vita away from Kassler and gathers evidence against Kassler to be used in his alimony and custody trial. Late in the book, he is revealed to be the son of Satan.
Characters (minor)
Joshua Morris Kassler
Son of Sy and Vita, born in 1970.
Joy Kassler
Daughter of Sy and Vita.
Critical acclaim
Although Satan: His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, J.S.P.S. is a somewhat obscure book, it has received mild to excellent ratings on Amazon[1]and Goodreads.[2]
References
- "Satan: His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, J.S.P.S. (9780595145065): Jeremy Leven". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
- Jeremy Leven. "Satan: His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, J.S.P.S. by Jeremy Leven". Goodreads.com. Retrieved 2010-05-28.