Love's Labor

An acclaimed author and psychoanalyst shares moving true stories from his practice to explore the central question of our lives: how do we find and keep love?

In these brief but powerful true stories drawn from more than thirty-five years of counseling patients, Stephen Grosz brings us into the lives of people who cannot fully connect with lovers, spouses, parents or friends. With patience and compassion, Grosz helps each patient draw a map of their internal world in order to uncover the unconscious fears and desires sabotaging their relationships. 

One man obsessively tends to everyone around him, hoping to avoid love’s end; another retreats from the world, unable to live fully until he’s able to confront a tragic romance; adultery and betrayal tear apart two married couples, but love persists between the spouses in surprising ways. Each one works with Grosz to decipher the language of their heart and learns to surrender to the difficult reality of truly connecting with another person.

More than just case studies, these deftly rendered encounters of everyday suffering—and profound relief—illuminate the path to understanding the human condition and the obstacles to true connection.