The Impossibility of Sex

In these intriguing accounts, Susie Orbach, the celebrated author of Fat is a Feminist Issue, presents us with six imaginary clinical cases, including Adam, the serial seducer; Belle, the compulsive liar; and Joanne, the self-mutilator. Through them, Orbach presents an intriguing look into the hidden world of the consulting room. She demonstrates the way the therapist analyses her own feelings as well of those of the other person, making the therapy relationship a uniquely special place in which discoveries can be made, which enable the patient to change. Bravely, she details failure as well as success. The latter is not denoted by a triumphant denouement but by ensuring the patient is enabled to utilise new ways of thinking after therapy.