by Jean Strouse
First published 1985
Dr. Sarah Chen adjusts her notepad as her next patient settles into the familiar chair. The women who enter her office carry stories that resist easy categorization. Margaret speaks in circles about her marriage while avoiding the real question. Lisa challenges every interpretation with sharp intelligence that masks deeper vulnerabilities. Patricia arrives precisely on time each week but struggles to say what brought her here. Each session reveals how the therapeutic relationship itself becomes a battlefield where trust and resistance clash. The analyst listens, probes, and sometimes stumbles as her patients push back against the process of being understood. These women refuse to be reduced to symptoms or theories. They demand to be heard on their own terms, even when they cannot articulate what those terms might be.
Genres: literary-fiction, 20th-century, gender-studies, feminism, contemporary, adult-fiction, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, intimate, psychological
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
384 pages · Paperback · G.K. Hall (Boston)
Content warnings: mental-illness