Love's Labor - by Stephen Grosz (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

An acclaimed author and psychoanalyst shares moving true stories from his practice to explore the central question of our lives: how do we find and keep love?

In these brief, powerful accounts drawn from his more than thirty-five years counselling patients, Stephen Grosz brings us into the lives of people who cannot fully connect to their loved ones. Grosz helps his patients map their internal worlds to uncover the unconscious fears and desires sabotaging their relationships.

Hoping to avoid love's end, one man obsessively tends to everyone around him; another retreats from the world, unable to live fully until he's able to confront the failure of a tragic romance; adultery and betrayal tear apart two married couples, but in surprising ways, love persists between the spouses.

These true stories of everyday suffering--and profound relief--display Grosz's deep understanding of the wayward heart and the obstacles to enduring connection.

Review Quotes

"This is a beautiful book."--Nigella Lawson

"A compressed, brilliant distillation of forty years of clinical experience and deep thought, written to last. Grosz conveys what he knows, in all its richness, in as pithy and digestible form as possible."--Financial Times

"A fascinating examination of this process [of psychoanalysis] in action . . . Grosz is a captivating writer whose understated vignettes often capture the complexities of the human condition"―New Scientist

"Chilling, moving, unforgettable . . . what a privilege it is for the reader to catch a glimpse of this process."―The Guardian

"Love's Labor is a hopeful book and all the more convincingly so because it promises relatively small shifts rather than miraculous recoveries"―The Times

"Love really is a labor: that's that's something they don't tell you in the fairy stories or the reality shows. But Stephen Grosz knows a lot about the pain and joy of human relationships, and in this book he generously shares his wisdom with the rest of us."--Zadie Smith, author of The Fraud

"This is a special book, full of little epiphanies. Grosz combines illuminating stories from therapy with such beautiful writing that you forget these people are his patients and not fictional characters. He reminds us how complex love is, how much it requires of us, and how many times we can misunderstand each other--and ourselves--in the process. It''s a love story about the relationship between lovers, between a therapist and patient, and between us all, if we are brave enough to attempt it."--Natasha Lunn, author of Conversations on Love

"Grosz's transfixing stories will increase your openness to and aptitude for the greatest of all emotions; you will be better at love after you read this book."--Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree

"Full of moments of revelation that stay with you forever . . . It would not be humanly possible for me to recommend his work more highly."―India Knight, author of My Life on a Plate

"Reading Stephen Grosz is a deep sort of pleasure, and this book's movingly told true stories left me feeling wiser and more open to life."―Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks

"Stephen Grosz is a beautiful writer;, a clear, compelling thinker;, an observant, wise, and deeply empathetic human being."--Nick Hornby, author of Fever Pitch

About the Author

Stephen Grosz is a psychoanalyst and writer. He is the author of The Examined Life. Born in America, educated at the University of California, Berkeley, and at Oxford University, he now lives and practices in London.