by D. M. Thomas
First published 1987
Lisa Erdman finds herself caught between the intimate world of her psychoanalytic sessions and the brutal realities of twentieth century Europe. Her dreams and memories blur together as she works through trauma with her analyst, revealing a complex inner life filled with both erotic fantasy and deep psychological wounds. As Lisa's story unfolds, the personal becomes inseparable from the political. Her individual struggles mirror the larger catastrophes engulfing her world. Thomas weaves together psychoanalysis, poetry, and historical tragedy to examine how private destiny collides with public horror. The novel asks whether any individual can escape the forces of history, or whether personal fate becomes meaningless against such overwhelming events. Lisa's journey toward understanding herself becomes a meditation on survival, memory, and the persistence of human desire even in the face of destruction.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adult-fiction, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: Europe
Period: 20th century
322 pages · Paperback · Pocket
Content warnings: mental-illness, violence