Abby and Patrick welcome writer and academic Michael Clune to discuss his new novel, Pan. It is the story of Nick, a teenage boy living alone with his divorced father in the 1990s Midwest. Precocious but troubled, he begins to suffer from panic attacks, obsessional symptoms, and more. Nick’s voice narrates these and other experiences with rich texture, yet his internal monologue steadily pushes the reader to question where and how the tumultuous life of a normal teenager ends and pathology begins. Discussing Pan thus allows Michael, Abby, and Patrick to talk through some elemental questions. How do we come to know the world, what’s normal in it, and what’s normal for us? How do social interactions at school and with friends shape our own self-understanding? What are the pleasures of experiencing something for the first time, and what does it feel like to be in a developmental stage where everything can feel super-saturated with meaning? Pan thus offers Abby, Patrick, and Michael a perfect frame to discuss growing up, mental health, friendship, coolness, drugs, reading, and much more.

Michael Clune, Pan: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/771661/pan-by-michael-clune/

Clune, Gamelife: A Memoir: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374536381/gamelife/

Clune, White Out: The Secret Life of Heroin: https://www.mcnallyeditions.com/books/p/white-out?srsltid=AfmBOooR9sPG-yosADPpcOUdl9k69upMya7iV7Q_Dt1vFnMHZzmEzMtu

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A podcast about psychoanalysis, politics, pop culture, and the ways we suffer now. New episodes on Saturdays. Follow us on social media:

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116: Writing Panic feat. Michael Clune