Decades entwine in John Sedgwick's new novel, \The Education of Miss Bemis."" Twenty-eight-year-old psychiatrist Alice Matthews finds elderly Madeline Bemis suffering from a breakdown in Filene's department store and adopts her as both a patient and friend.
Over the following months, Alice probes into Madeline's past, searching for pieces that explain her breakdown in Filene's. Throughout the novel, we read firsthand about those slices of Madeline's life'her heartbreaking love triangle, transition to a home for unwed mothers in Colorado and an unhappy marriage. As the novel progresses, we realize those pieces are also missing from the puzzle of a recent unsolved murder.
Alice and Madeline find comfort in each other, blurring the doctor-patient relationship when Alice deals with her own personal issues surrounding family and relationships with Madeline's help.
Although the story engages readers and stirs their interest in psychiatry, the writing turns cheesy and clich?? at times. An example is in this scene, which occurs when Alice and Miss Bemis finish sobbing in each others' arms after reminiscing about their lives:
Alice openly wiped her face with her sleeve this time. ""I get a little sentimental sometimes.""
The tears were starting to flow once again. ""Would you mind if',"" Miss Bemis began, then reached for Alice's other sleeve.
""It's fine, Miss B."" Alice laughed, and cried, both.
Exchanges like this remind readers that it is only a fictional story'rarely do a doctor and patient embrace each other, sobbing. These scenes make it hard to appreciate the novel as more than an entertaining story.
