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Critical Praise

"In Pharmakon, Dirk Wittenborn has given us a haunting illustration of the Tolstoyan maxim that every unhappy family is unique in its unhappiness, though in fact no one who has ever been part of a family can fail to feel pangs of recognition as they follow the saga of the Friedrich family across three tumultuous generations. Pharmakon is an ambitious and memorable novel."

Jay McInerney, author of Bright Lights, Big City and Brightness Falls

"Pharmakon is an old-fashioned novel about a modern subject--set in the past but completely relevant to where we are today. It might remind you of mid-period John Irving, but gentler. And just when you've settled into a groove the book takes surprising--sometimes shocking--turns. Beneath all the pain there's hope coursing through these pages, and in the end don't be surprised if you find yourself moved to tears."

Bret Easton Ellis

"A brilliant portrait of a young family of the 1950s, possessed of the particular qualities of post-war America -- optimism, prosperity and security -- and the inevitable loss of innocence as both country and family encounter the challenges of maturity. Dirk Wittenborn's provocative book is sharply observed; a subtle and wise fable of our time."

Susanna Moore, author of In The Cut

“In Pharmakon Dirk Wittenborn has given us a fascinating portrait of a family living on the edge in the barely post-medieval age of 1950’s psycho-pharmacology. Both victims and perpetrators, pioneers and innocents, the saga of the Freidrichs will stay with you long after the book has been read.”

Richard Price, author of Lush Life