Book Review: I’m a Therapist, and My Patient is Going to Be the Next School Shooter by Dr. Harper

Title: I’m a Therapist, and My Patient is Going to Be the Next School Shooter

Author: Dr. Harper (pseudonym)

Genre: Psychological Horror

Series: Doctor Harper (#1)

Number of Pages: 172

Rating: B

Recommended?: Yes

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Admittedly, this isn’t the kind of book I usually read. It originated on Reddit, which isn’t something I’m familiar with. I decided to read it because of my joint interests in abnormal psychology and horror. Each story in this collection follows a fictional therapist, ‘Dr. Harper,’ and the craziest cases he has to deal with in his line of work. The book is written in nonlinear fashion and shows Dr. Harper’s unconventional, and sometimes downright illegal, methods of handling dangerous patients.

Dr. Elliot Harper is a gay man, and the book is good representation in that the book incorporates it without making a big deal out of it. My favorite story was definitely the one about the OCD patient, that one freaked me out! Some of the stories had outcomes I was able to predict but that one kept me wondering the whole time. The stories themselves are pretty unrealistic and not to be taken too seriously; Dr. Harper would have had his license revoked ages ago and the plotlines tended more toward ‘horror’ rather than ‘psychology.’

I did notice the use of some different psychological terms and theories that made Dr. Harper’s voice seem more authentic. Even though the fine details of this book don’t pass the whiff test, it was a quick read that kept my attention throughout and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I liked how even though it was nonlinear you could see how all the pieces fit together as you kept reading. As soon as I finished it I bought the two sequels on my Kindle, and I liked the anonymous author’s take on the ‘traumatized doctor who doesn’t play by the rules’ trope.