Book Review: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

Spoilers ahead! My honest take on the book

Image from here

It’s been a while since I read a book that I felt the need to write a review for.

The author is warm, funny, open, honest, self-deprecating, and insightful. And even all those descriptors don’t capture the joy you can get from reading this book.

When she talked about John, one of the main patients she sees, I instantly disliked him. Everything about him. And I didn’t know how she had the patience or the grace to get past his assholery to unmask the humanity underneath.

But it does go to show: that sometimes people develop defense mechanisms that can be counterproductive. Those who desire intimacy can also be the same people who push it away because they’re scared of knowing anything different than what they already do.

There’s so much captured in this book. Love, loss, grief, joy, silliness — there’s so much to be found within its pages. And it’s all written with such a perspicacious view, a POV that illuminates truths about the human condition without feeling heavy-handed, overbearing, or paternalistic.

It’s not prescriptive. It acknowledges all the messiness that is life without creating overarching generalizations. I know sometimes people understand life through universal rules, but she describes contexts and people with all their various perspectives.

This book leaves me feeling hopeful and warms my heart. I haven’t read anything quite like it before, and I hope other people will give it a read as well.