Outside Looking In: A Novel

by T. C. Boyle Narrated by Johnathan McClain

Overview

A provocative new novel from bestselling author T.C. Boyle exploring the first scientific and recreational forays into LSD and its mind-altering possibilities.

In this stirring and insightful novel, T.C. Boyle takes us back to the 1960s and to the early days of a drug whose effects have reverberated widely throughout our culture: LSD.

In 1943, LSD is synthesized in Basel. Two decades later, a coterie of grad students at Harvard are gradually drawn into the inner circle of renowned psychologist and psychedelic drug enthusiast Timothy Leary. Fitzhugh Loney, a psychology Ph.D. student and his wife, Joanie, become entranced by the drug's possibilities such that their “research” becomes less a matter of clinical trials and academic papers and instead turns into a free-wheeling exploration of mind expansion, group dynamics, and communal living. With his trademark humor and pathos, Boyle moves us through the Loneys' initiation at one of Leary's parties to his notorious summer seminars in Zihuatanejo until the Loneys' eventual expulsion from Harvard and their introduction to a communal arrangement of thirty devotees-students, wives, and children-living together in a sixty-four room mansion and devoting themselves to all kinds of experimentation and questioning.

Is LSD a belief system? Does it allow you to see God? Can the Loneys' marriage-or any marriage, for that matter-survive the chaotic and sometimes orgiastic use of psychedelic drugs? Wry, witty, and wise, Outside Looking In is an ideal subject for this American master, and highlights Boyle's acrobatic prose, detailed plots, and big ideas. It's an utterly engaging and occasionally trippy look at the nature of reality, identity, and consciousness, as well as our seemingly infinite capacities for creativity, re-invention, and self-discovery.

'Outside Looking In' is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of LSD and the counterculture movement of the 1960s.

T.C.

Boyle's masterful storytelling and insightful exploration of psychology and marriage make this book a true gem in American literature.

HarperCollins 2024

Editorial Reviews

APRIL 2019 - AudioFile

This is a listen for those curious about what life was like under the spell of the real-life cult-like figure Timothy Leary, who extolled the virtues of psychedelic drugs, free love, and the search for enlightenment. Boyle’s latest novel takes the listener back to the 1960s and a group of PhD students who are followers of the charismatic psychologist. Narrator Johnathan McClain delivers this story in a mellow tone that illuminates the days of drug experimentation and flower power. Boyle knows how to tell a story, and McClain offers a nice balance of skilled pacing and a sensitive approach to characters who may leave listeners aghast at their life choices. J.P.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

Spellbinding...Boyle’s latest work of countercultural, biographical fiction will lure his devotees and the newly curious alike.” — Booklist

"He writes with a youthful and sustained energy that parallels the zeal of his dreamers, and that ultimately attenuates their failures. There are few writers who seem more American." — New York Times Book Review

“This is a superbly paced novel that manages to feel simultaneously suspenseful and inevitable.” — Washington Post

“Few novelists have benefited more from the freedom unleashed by the psychedelic revolution than the prolific Boyle, . . . but here he shows a buttoned-down control over his material, a deadpan innocence in the face of seismic changes to come. . . . Boyle evokes a cultural flashpoint with implications that transcend acid flashbacks.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Boyle takes us deep inside the lives of [Timothy] Leary and his convention-bashing acolytes, offering a brisk read that provides much food for thought. Boyle fans will enjoy.” — Library Journal (starred review)

Booklist

Spellbinding...Boyle’s latest work of countercultural, biographical fiction will lure his devotees and the newly curious alike.

New York Times Book Review

"He writes with a youthful and sustained energy that parallels the zeal of his dreamers, and that ultimately attenuates their failures. There are few writers who seem more American."

Washington Post

This is a superbly paced novel that manages to feel simultaneously suspenseful and inevitable.

Booklist

Spellbinding...Boyle’s latest work of countercultural, biographical fiction will lure his devotees and the newly curious alike.

Washington Post

This is a superbly paced novel that manages to feel simultaneously suspenseful and inevitable.

APRIL 2019 - AudioFile

This is a listen for those curious about what life was like under the spell of the real-life cult-like figure Timothy Leary, who extolled the virtues of psychedelic drugs, free love, and the search for enlightenment. Boyle’s latest novel takes the listener back to the 1960s and a group of PhD students who are followers of the charismatic psychologist. Narrator Johnathan McClain delivers this story in a mellow tone that illuminates the days of drug experimentation and flower power. Boyle knows how to tell a story, and McClain offers a nice balance of skilled pacing and a sensitive approach to characters who may leave listeners aghast at their life choices. J.P.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170097197
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	04/09/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

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