Washington, D.C. - August 16, 2006

The Old College Try

“To Feel Stuff,” by Andrea Seigel

In college you learned important lessons from four fuzzy navels, two slippery nipples, and some sex on the beach.

Namely, never drink anything named after a body part. Don’t get naked on a grainy surface. And sleeping in the university’s infirmary is no fun.

Think one night with Nurse Ratched was bad? Try living there.

So it goes for Elodie, in Andrea Seigel’s new novel, To Feel Stuff. Living in Brown University’s Health Services, she’s seized by countless diseases from fibromyalgia to tuberculosis. She’s joined by Chester Hunter III, a charismatic coed, whose knees (and invincibility complex) have been shattered by a baseball bat.

The two embark on the journey of self-discovery that accompanies first love. Elodie’s special revelation: She can see ghosts.

An epistolary novel of sorts, the narrative unfolds through letters exchanged between Chester and Elodie, along with her doctor’s article in the Journal of Parapsychology, which chronicles her illnesses and interactions with apparitions.

In the hospital’s isolated world, Chester heals, Elodie’s visions get stronger, and both find themselves.

Pity your infirmary vision (the dancing pizza) wasn’t quite as profound.

Available online at amazon.com.