Rachel Basch's writing engages both my heart and my mind in equal measure. I loved The Passion of Reverend Nash not only for its plot but for its layered presentation of spiritual issues, and her new book did not disappoint. In fact, while the novel itself is quite compact, the story itself has sprawled outward in my mind, its telling and characters remaining with me long after I turned the last page. I loved the distinct voices of each of the characters she explores, both of whom seemed very believable to me, and she convincingly picks apart the wall that seems to exist between client and practitioner in the therapeutic relationship. Basch is a master of subtle detail, and her scenes never contain more than enough, yet each object, gesture, and line of dialogue is resonant and necessary. The Listener takes on the nature of longing and the ability of the human heart to heal--messily, haltingly, but heal nonetheless. ( )

While struggling to adapt to life as a freshman in college, Noah is also balancing a role in the campus production of Les Miserables and desperately searching for someone who understands the feelings surrounding his gender identity. In hopes of finding someone to talk to, Noah makes an appointment with his school's behavioral health center, where he meets with Malcolm. As a widower with two college-age daughters, Malcolm's ability to completely understand Noah is limited, but the pair develop a unique bond that will impact both their families and the people around them.

Some novels are so quiet they can sneak up and surprise you with their ability to weave a tale. The Listener is one of those books. On the surface, it sounds like a story we've all read: an odd pair come together and reveal a secret or two that send ripples through their lives. It's certainly familiar. Yet, Basch pulls in dozens of elements that make her story unique and layers them together in a way that allows it to be incredibly engaging without ever feeling over the top.

A story rooted in the closed-off room of a therapist is the starting point of a novel focused on opening up. Through Noah and Malcolm, we connect to the circle of lives around them and are reminded how delicate we must treat our most important relationships; fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, and the very best of friends.

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Rachel Basch’s The Listener wasn’t the novel I’d expected it to be, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. What I’d picked up on while reading the promotional material was that it dealt with a college psychologist working with an intersexed student: Noah, biologically a young man, but who moves back and forth between male and female genders in daily life.

Noah is there, but so are a lot of other characters: the therapist’s two adult daughters, his private-practice partner who’s having an affair, the partner’s wife, Noah’s mother, and Noah’s best friend Alex. The emotional center of the novel is the therapist, Malcolm Dowd, whose professional and private lives resonate with one another in uncomfortable ways.

The novel is a bit of a soap opera, but a thoughtful soap opera, one that attempts to get inside the motivations of the different characters, rather just presenting them as easily recognizable types. No one in this book is all he or she might be. The flaws of the different characters peak at different moments, keeping their relationships with one another brittle—but still, oddly, hopeful. Though the characters vary in age, each is still a work in progress, which creates a sort of emotional equality at the heart of the book. ( )