Love's Executioner is a fiction book based on psychotherapy and the human psyche, written by Irvin D. Yalom, who is a psychotherapist and also the main protagonist (the therapist) among each of the stories.
There are ten stories:
1) Love's Executioner
2) "If Rape Were Legal..."
3) Fat Lady
4) "The Wrong One Died"
5) "I Never Thought It Would Happen To Me"
6) "Do Not Go Gentle"
7) Two Smiles
8) Three Unopened Letters
9) Therapeutic Monogamy
10) In Search of the Dreamer
Each of these stories unwinds a new experience with a new patient as "Dr Yalom" uncovers their reasons of being, and the existential position underlying the problems they have. He also discusses interactions between himself and his patients, dream interpretations, and mistakes and fears he makes being a therapist. Although each story is about the patient, it is always told from his side.
In the prologue, he lists the existential factors which underlie the patients problems.
They are:
1) "the inevitablity of death for each of us and those we love;"
2) "the freedom to make our lives as we will;"
3) "our ultimate aloneness; "
4) "and, finally, the absence of any obvious meaning or sense to life."
Throughout the pages it becomes apparent where these "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" arrive, and for the most part, how they are resolved. He explores every possibility of resolving these facts to offer wisdom and redemption.
And through this diverse way it is certainly a book for anyone. The people in the stories are only related through going to therapy and every case is different, every personality different. There is a lot of variation, and a lot of interesting things to think about through every page. It is a storybook and a book on life which is very clear and thorough in what it is saying through the examples and discussion.
I like all the stories for different reasons but the most prominent part for me was the Epilogue of "Two Smiles". An extract:
"A series of distorting prisms block the knowing of the other. Before the invention of the stethoscope, a physician listened to the sounds of life with an ear pressed against a patient's rib cage. Imagine two minds pressed tight together and, like paramecia exchanging micronuclei, directly transferring thought images: that would be union nonpareil."
He continues to explain that we cannot know the other because of of limits to image and language, and what we choose to disclose.
Anyhow, this book is good because it deals with strong raw themes such as death and gets to the point very quickly. And even though the identities of the people are invented, and the dialogue made up, and with some factual truth, it is still honest in the respect that nothing is taboo and everything is explored or permitted to be explored. Some things are negative, some things are positive. It is also very open-ended and doesn't act as a resolute guide. It encourages thought, feeling and change, and that is why I would recommend this book.
There are ten stories:
1) Love's Executioner
2) "If Rape Were Legal..."
3) Fat Lady
4) "The Wrong One Died"
5) "I Never Thought It Would Happen To Me"
6) "Do Not Go Gentle"
7) Two Smiles
8) Three Unopened Letters
9) Therapeutic Monogamy
10) In Search of the Dreamer
Each of these stories unwinds a new experience with a new patient as "Dr Yalom" uncovers their reasons of being, and the existential position underlying the problems they have. He also discusses interactions between himself and his patients, dream interpretations, and mistakes and fears he makes being a therapist. Although each story is about the patient, it is always told from his side.
In the prologue, he lists the existential factors which underlie the patients problems.
They are:
1) "the inevitablity of death for each of us and those we love;"
2) "the freedom to make our lives as we will;"
3) "our ultimate aloneness; "
4) "and, finally, the absence of any obvious meaning or sense to life."
Throughout the pages it becomes apparent where these "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" arrive, and for the most part, how they are resolved. He explores every possibility of resolving these facts to offer wisdom and redemption.
And through this diverse way it is certainly a book for anyone. The people in the stories are only related through going to therapy and every case is different, every personality different. There is a lot of variation, and a lot of interesting things to think about through every page. It is a storybook and a book on life which is very clear and thorough in what it is saying through the examples and discussion.
I like all the stories for different reasons but the most prominent part for me was the Epilogue of "Two Smiles". An extract:
"A series of distorting prisms block the knowing of the other. Before the invention of the stethoscope, a physician listened to the sounds of life with an ear pressed against a patient's rib cage. Imagine two minds pressed tight together and, like paramecia exchanging micronuclei, directly transferring thought images: that would be union nonpareil."
He continues to explain that we cannot know the other because of of limits to image and language, and what we choose to disclose.
Anyhow, this book is good because it deals with strong raw themes such as death and gets to the point very quickly. And even though the identities of the people are invented, and the dialogue made up, and with some factual truth, it is still honest in the respect that nothing is taboo and everything is explored or permitted to be explored. Some things are negative, some things are positive. It is also very open-ended and doesn't act as a resolute guide. It encourages thought, feeling and change, and that is why I would recommend this book.
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