SOCIOPATH

The story of a therapist and grief counselor’s struggle to understand and mitigate a stigmatized disorder.

Since early childhood, Gagne writes, she knew she lacked the empathy, shame, guilt, and fear of consequences typically possessed by others. Her antisocial behavior frequently brought her into conflict with authority figures and confirmed her sense of difference and, sometimes, despair. In adulthood, after finally receiving a diagnosis of sociopathy, she sought ways to manage it, eventually becoming a psychologist specializing in the disorder. A crucial element in her success, she notes, is her relationship with an exceptionally understanding man who taught her how to love. This memoir is unusual in its presentation of a decidedly unlikable and rather frightening narrator, who describes a lifetime of bad behavior and ongoing struggles with deficits in kindness and common decency. Her seemingly sincere and plausible request, however, is for compassion to flow in the other direction: from the non-sociopathic toward the sociopathic, who are understood as suffering from a medical condition and whose humanity remains intact no matter their moral limitations. Gagne makes a reasonable case for such sympathy and for the possibility that sociopathy may, to some extent, be treatable. However, the narrative itself, which relies heavily on conventions from the romance and thriller genres, has a markedly fantastical quality, and what emerges often seems to favor vivid storytelling and self-aggrandizement over honest introspection. Descriptions of the author’s uncannily astute contributions to her field of study have a particularly dubious quality. A disclaimer informs readers that “some timelines have been condensed, some dialogue has been reconstructed, and some characters have been presented as composites,” which may put off some readers. Though the book is marketed as a memoir, it reads very much like a work of fiction.

A peculiar, provocative exploration of the limits of social acceptance.