Did the American Psychoanalytic Association sponsor this book? It reads like a love letter to Freudian theory (a non evidence based concept), presenting the narrator as a textbook case of the Electra Complex. Although it is true that, as she says, "You can't induce despair by writing about it!," it is painful to read about her repression, depression, and unhealthy life choices, as well as her parents' coldness toward her.

I did appreciate that the narrator recognizes her privilege (a cushy teaching fellowship at a private school; her parents subsidizing her housing costs). One persistent annoyance was the strange orientation of her parents' home (where much of the action takes place): how can an apartment on Park Ave have a window that faces west to view the sunset and also faces southeast to view the Chrysler Building on Lexington? Not recommended. ( )