Introduction

"The Good Doctor" by Adam Haslett is the second story in the collection You Are Not a Stranger Here, which appeared in 2002. The nine stories in this collection depict small moments in the lives of fully developed characters, some of whom are estranged or disturbed. Several deal with mental illness and several with male homosexuality. Haslett is as adept at locating his stories in England as he is with situating them in the United States, and regardless of the subject, his stories are written in a poised, elegant style. In "The Good Doctor," a young psychiatrist drives to a remote house on the Nebraska prairie to evaluate a patient whose prescriptions need renewing. Within the framework of the psychological interview, Haslett examines various topics connected with drug addiction, trauma, grief, chronic rural poverty, and disillusionment. One point the story in its entirety seems to make is that federally funded medical programs in remote areas are ineffectual in delivering the necessary sustained support to people with chronic psychiatric and medical problems, problems which are themselves often caused by the very remoteness that obstructs the delivery of the needed services.