Rating
'To me this book was a revelation. It demystifies a lot of the prejudice on sociopathy.'
~~~
Are you a sociopath?
...Or do you know any around you?
These are the kinds of questions likely to pop into your head when reading this book.
I read this book earlier this year and remember finding it fascinating. It addresses a topic that seems to have become ever more trendy recently (judging by the type of content streaming video platforms mass produce for us): sociopathy.
The book is thoroughly researched, but more than an academic evaluation of the topic, it provides a detailed, colourful account from someone who’s lived with that mindset her whole life.
Someone seemingly ‘normal’, leading a seemingly ‘normal life’ - whatever current socially approved standards are. Someone whose thought processes and instincts you’d never guess unless she candidly opened up about them - which is what this book is all about.
To me this book was a revelation. It demystifies a lot of the prejudice on sociopathy (mostly the tendency to classify all sociopaths as psychopaths, or see them all as blood-thirsty crazy serial killers that should be locked up). But it also confirms a lot of assumptions, putting them into context and explaining them in a way that’ll open your eyes to the author’s perspective.
The book is well-written and narrated with enthralling intimacy. It's like getting an exclusive audience with the high school prom queen: you're not sure why you're entrusted with her confidences, and whether the occasion will ever present itself again, but you can't help but drink it all in with awe.
The topic may not to everyone's taste, and the relative normalcy of the author's experience might disappoint those expecting the extravagant glamour of how sociopaths tend to be portrayed in modern day storytelling, but for those ready to come to this book with an open-mind will, I'm sure, be utterly charmed by it - as, I am sure, any sociopathic writer would have been aiming for anyways.