The Psychopath Test
by Jon Ronson
(Picador, R260)
From the author of Men Who Stare at Goats comes this interesting and somewhat paranoia-inducing book.
Ronson is one of those individuals who is intrigued by unusual, near-crazed people. Men Who Stare at Goats, for example, is about ex-military blokes who believe they were taught special abilities and are able to walk through walls and kill goats by staring at them.
The journey begins where Ronson, as a journalist and documentarian, is hired by an academic to research a sort of puzzle issued to neurologists across the world. The puzzle does not make any sense, but neurologists are hell-bent on figuring it out.
He sets out to find the perpetrator of the ploy, but along the way realises the farce has prompted a kind of insanity into the pragmatic and sane to decipher what may be utter nonsense. The plot thus thickens, with Ronson delving deeper and deeper into the paradigms of insanity.
After solving the mystery, he sets out to discover what separates the impulsive human from the psychopath. As if his curiosity had not been piqued enough, he comes across the industry’s standard Psychopath Test, used to assess serial offenders in detention facilities.
In an effort to fully understand the psychopathic mind, he initiates extensive dialogue with scientologists, psychologists, insane individuals, victims of insane individuals, a corporate mogul and the author of the Psychopath Test, Bob Hare.
Ronson’s endeavours take him around the world, documenting encounters that span almost two decades.
The way he structures the story, down to its timeline, is fantastic. It starts out being amusing, then turns serious, before getting a bit creepy, but the moment is never lost.
The Psychopath Test is also offered in the book, with Ronson referring to it almost obsessively, giving him the ability to bring to life any situation.
After reading this book, you might be suspicious of every person in a suit. Nonetheless, the perspective it offers is worthwhile.
The book will be available in June. – Tshepo Tshabalala