Can we truly choose whom we love? For Sylvie, the main character in Adelaide Faith’s “Eternal Happiness,” the emphatic answer is “no.” She finds herself deeply infatuated with her therapist, an older woman with vibrant pink hair who resides nearby. After 13 sessions, Sylvie counts the weeks until their next appointment, torn between her desire for the therapist to embrace her or simply hold her hand.
The dilemma of this inconvenient infatuation unfolds throughout Faith’s captivating debut novel. While Sylvie understands the importance of maintaining professional boundaries, she indulges her obsession in subtle ways—emulating her therapist’s fashion choices, delving into treatment research at her veterinary clinic, and remaining on alert for a chance encounter at a local dog park. Sylvie believes that if her therapist were to love her back, all her problems would vanish: “You may not need to worry about continuing when someone else has already solved the meaning of life,” she muses.
What could easily descend into a precarious situation in another narrative is beautifully illuminated here, revealing the layers of Sylvie’s therapy, her timid efforts outside of sessions, and her quest for a more fulfilling, healthy existence. Sylvie forges new friendships, embarks on adventures, and seeks ways to feel “like a person” in a “real” and meaningful life. As the story unfolds, Sylvie grapples with whether she has healed enough to break free from her therapist’s hold.
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Source: apnews.com