Pharmakon by Dirk Wittenborn

Writing a novel is hard. Sometimes a clear structure announces itself; sometimes you just throw everything you’ve got at the canvas and hope it all sticks. “Pharmakon” seems to be in the second category. Its pleasures are many, but the book is trying to be so many things at once — topical treatise, crime thriller, family saga — that ultimately its intentions feel jumbled. Then, by way of explanation, come the author’s acknowledgments.

Book Review - ‘Pharmakon,’ by Dirk Wittenborn - Review - NYTimes.com.