MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE | LORI GOTTLIEB [review]

“Who doesn’t come with enough baggage to bring down an airplane?”

A Summary (No Spoilers)

Lori is a therapist who’s seen it all — denial, narcissism, self-destructive behaviour… There’s a lot her clients have to work through, but Lori is an expert, cultivating hope in hopeless situations, and getting the most shallow of her clients to look deep within themselves.

When Lori finds herself struggling to cope after a devastating breakup, she seeks out another therapist, Wendell, in the hopes that he’ll be an objective outsider who, in his expert opinion, completely agrees with her and tells her that her ex is an absolute jerk.

It turns out Wendell is not what she expected — he doesn’t validate her, for instance. and his methods as a therapist are quite different from her own. This is the story of what Lori learns from him and from her clients.

This was a fun and informative read that felt a lot shorter than it was. Written in a conversational tone, Lori is a casual and engaging writer, who drops in fascinating nuggets of information about psychology and the industry she works in.

Lori Gottlieb adds to a growing body of personal and often witty ‘industry’ memoirs. These books are based on lived experience and research within an industry and perfectly balanced with confessional humour, anecdotes, and vulnerability.

More books like this:

THE DIARY OF A BOOKSELLER | SHAUN BYTHELL → about Shaun Bythell — owner of The Book Shop in Wigtown, Scotland —and his struggles in the bookselling business during the reign of Amazon. Written in bite-sized diary entries to make to fun and easy reading.

SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES | CAITLIN DOUGHTY → about the charming Caitlin Doughty as she forges her own path through the cremation and death industry. A warm and funny book, and the research is so fascinating.

THIS IS GOING TO HURT | ADAM KAY → about Adam Kay’s experience in the medical industry (this one I haven’t read yet).