A review by emily_mai
Lying on the Couch by Irvin D. Yalom

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

The characters are overly simple in the beginning, they come across like diagnoses and the writing makes it pretty obvious how the author sees each of them. By the end of the book they’re far more nuanced, and maybe that’s on purpose, to give the reader the experience of a therapist getting to know a charecter. But I would have liked to see them as nuanced when they weren’t happy or “integrated” AND on the other end. The middle was hard to get through, lots of shit about finances and greed and men that just annoyed me. And the ending didn’t blow me a way. I liked that it taught me some valuable information about therapy, and I liked knowing that I could trust that information based on the author’s credentials. There were a few moments that were really sweet or poignant towards the 3/4 mark. But like I said, ending could’ve been better.