Cutting Through the Knot is a humorous coming of age story, told in a conversational first person voice, recounting a young man's trials in overcoming mental illness. A novel of New York City in the 1980's, the narrative follows the adventures of a student on a leave of absence from a university in the north east. At the heart of novel is the protagonist's sense of humor. The title alludes to his psychiatrist's emphasis on the importance of laughter in the face of pain and struggle. Humor, he tells his young patient, "cuts through the knot." "This story is compelling, and disturbing,...