Award-Winning Memoir 2017 Readers’ FavoriteWhen Diane, a psychologist, falls in love with Charles, a charming and brilliant psychiatrist, there is laughter and flowers—and also darkness. After moving through infertility treatments and the trials of the adoption process as a united front, the couple is ultimately successful in creating a family. As time goes on, however, Charles becomes … Charles becomes increasingly critical and controlling, and Diane begins to feel barraged and battered. When she is diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, Charles is initially there for her, but his attentiveness quickly vanishes and is replaced by withdrawal, anger, and unfathomable sadism. What Diane previously thought were just Charles’ controlling ways are replaced by clear pathologic narcissism and emotional abuse that turns venomous at the very hour of her greatest need.
A memoir and a psychological love story that is at times tender and at times horrifying, Lost in the Reflecting Pool is a chronicle of one woman’s struggle to survive within—and ultimately break free of—a relationship with a man incapable of caring about anyone beyond himself.
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It was interesting but very slow at times. I finished it but wouldn’t read it again.
I would recommend this book. I was snowed in on a Saturday as this was the book that kept me wrapped in attention to detail.
Good read.
I think the author tried so hard to live with a sick sadistic spouse and was finally able to get away.
It was a quick and easy read about the crumbling marriage of a woman married to a sadistic narcissist. He is a psychiatrist and she is a child psychologist. They have fertility problems but they adopt one child and then become pregnant via IVF. While the children ate still young she is diagnosed with breast cancer and does not have a good prognosis. She has no support of any kind from her husband. It is a memoir which made it all the more sad.
I can’t say I liked this book (because the subject is painful) but it was very gripping. The subject is dealt with in detail and with great accuracy. It was very revealing and helped me to understand and yet I was a bit impatient with her responses which seemed either tedious, avoidance of issues, and slow to take responsibility.
This book was somewhat enjoyable but a whole book about a bad marriage was a bit much. But it was realistic.