Borderline

"Alex Blake, a thirty-six-year-old bachelor, had a successful private practice as a psychotherapist for years. But one day, on returning home after counseling for twelve solid hours, he by chance glanced at the glass panes in his front door - he could see a reflection of the bushes and trees behind him, but he couldn't see himself!" "Frightened, he reared back. He recently experienced some bothersome neurotic symptoms that may be attributed to occupational stress, but the feeling he might be disappearing is too much." "A nearby state institution for the mentally retarded recently offered him a job. His friend, Stanford Samuel, who is himself employed as a psychologist there, has told him some of the horror stories about the place, but also about its benefits." "Alex is undecided. Does he want to lay himself open for this? Working with the mentally retarded can be endlessly frustrating. Can he learn to cope with adult men who still mess in their diapers? Or work with victims of Hurler's syndrome? Or deal with surprise attacks from maddened, frustrated residents?" "When his long-time girlfriend, Elaine, a volunteer at the institution, urges him to do it, Alex decides to give it a try. The first day on the job, he meets a number of ... unexpected people. There's Winnie, a gorgeous-looking blonde nurse who can't seem to hold on to whatever is in her hands. There's Martha Toolan, known as "No Foolin' Toolan," the iron fist in the not-so-velvet glove. There's Stoney Stoneslifer who can't seem to finish a sentence." "There are also some residents: Mike. He's found religion. Walter. He leaves a trail in the underground tunnels. Ellie. She wants a mommy. Alex learns that while these people may be retarded, their sexual needs are as insistent as those of persons on the "outside." The only-hitch is that males are segregated with males, females with females, and homosexuality and masturbation are frowned upon ...." "As the months drift by, Alex finds out each resident is an individual with individual preferences and needs. He also realizes he must come to terms with his mother's long-term illness, his relationship with his brother, and, most importantly, his true feelings for the two women in his life." "The novel essentially is a love story played out against the background of a state-owned institution for the mentally retarded. What life is really like for persons who are "warehoused" is accurately described by Sigmund Stoler who worked as an institutional psychologist and came to realize that - more than a refuge for the developmentally disabled - an institution is a kind of "haven" for its employees, too."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved