Empathy by Sarah Schulman

Empathy Reviews

• 
  Robert Beveridge

  Sara Schulman, Empathy (Dutton, 1992)
  
  Until roughly twenty minutes before writing this review, I was getting ready to say Empathy was going to be a definite for my best twenty-five reads of 2003 list. Then I read the last three chapters.
  
  The first twenty-seven are brilliant. The story's two main characters are Anna O., a lesbian attempting to get over an old relationship and find someone new, and Doc, a post-Freudian therapist who finds prospective clients by handing out business cards on the street and will never keep a client for more than three sessions. Eventually, their two stories intertwine as Anna, finding one of Doc's business cards, makes an appointment with him. The two of them then proceed to take on relationships of all sorts, Jewish funerals, AIDS, the homeless, and a rainbow of other topics with a wicked wit. Doc obsesses over an old girlfriend as well, and feels an almost supernatural connection with Anna. When one of the main questions in a book is "will Doc end up having a fourth session with Anna?", it's impossible to write a review in a way that makes it sound as important as it actually is, but Anna, Doc, and the supporting cast of characters (Anna's family, Doc's patients and mentor, Anna's old girlfriend's mother, Doc's old girlfriend) are so well-drawn and engaging that it's well-night impossible not to be drawn in to the point where you sit up at night thinking about such things.
  
  Then Schulman hits you with the kicker, the novel's climax, and though it's nothing we haven't seen before (telling you where would be the ultimate plot spoiler, however), it's a sucker punch delivered with such aplomb that it demands a "thank you, ma'am, may I have another." I had figured I knew where the book was going, had it mapped out in my head (and it was a brilliant ending, too), then Schulman flipped all my expectations on their heads and delivered what may have been the only climax that was actually better than what I thought it would be.
  
  Then we get to Chapter Twenty-Seven, and everything goes to hell in a handbasket. We spend two chapters involved in political polemic that has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the novel, and while they are two brief chapters, their very existence in the book poisons the whole thing. Schulman attempts to wrap things up in the last chapter by going back to the original topic of life-after-Doc Anna, but by then it's too late. The rhythm, the style, the all-around beauty of the book has been dashed against a curb on a dark, rainy street.
  
  My advice? By all means, read this novel. Up to chapter twenty-six. Then skip ahead to chapter thirty. You will still find an ending that is an anticlimax, to say the least, but you will at least be spared pointless political diatribe along the way. ** ½
• 
  Tao

  "Outside, global relations seemed to be one big blob. A comet. Out of control."
• 
  sæfaɪɚ

  This book is odd. Beautifully written--and I can tell I need to read more of Sarah Shulman's work. I appreciate the concepts that she explores here. It was experimental and strange and captivating.
  
  
  And the end, god. “I’m not trying to pass, except to myself. I mean, how many times can a person be told in a multitude of ways that she will never be fully human because she is not a man? The logical conclusion is to become a man to herself, simply to retain the most basic self-respect.” Some of that just made me shudder. It was sad, and raw.
  
  That said, I found the way she did the reveal to be a bit... unsatisfying. Which, maybe that was the point. But I didn't get an "aha" moment where the rest of the book fell into place as being about one person, and it was kind of jarring to realize the book I thought I'd been reading wasn't the book I was reading at all. It felt like she changed her mind about the book part way through.
  
  And in retrospect, I'm less bothered by it, and more intrigued by what she did and the concept she explored in those last few chapters, but I didn't like the experience of reading it. It felt like two books. Two good books, mind you. But I was left a bit lost. I wish we'd gotten a few more hints in the first section that lead to the conclusion; I think it would have been more interesting that way. Maybe how I felt was what she intended. I'm not sure.
  
  BUT, in any case, I do think the concept is profoundly interesting and I really appreciate how she chose to represent it. I'm happy to have read this. Stylistically, she's wonderful, and the concept really is well executed. Just, not how I would have liked it best, I think.
• 
  Caleb

  I'm not really sure what to say about this book... I'm not entirely sure I understand what happened. Empathy certainly has that chaotic, surrealist, psychoanalytic-meltdown style that seems to come from post-modern new york-based literature. I think Arthur Nersesian took notes from Schulman's rapid character deterioration/confusion.
  
  I'm not sad I read it, but I feel like there's a lot going on in this story and it's hard to keep all of the strands in mind at once. It could use a book club discussion to make sense of it.
  
  But there were certainly moments of poetic flair, and sentences I re-read a few times to try and keep for later. Not bad for my first Schulman book, I suppose.
• 
  Sam Bolton

  Delicious psychoanalytic contemporary modernist lesbian novel moment. Definitely my favourite thing I've read this year. It's just unfortunate in the appendices Sarah Schulman says some pretty transphobic things 😭😭😭
• 
  Delia Rainey

  this experimental novel deals w a jewish middle-class lesbian in NYC in the late 1980s, early 1990s, grappling with her identity and wanting to be fully loved for who she is ~~ in order to realize this love, she has to hang out with another neurotic middle-class jew, a DIY talk-therapist named doc. both characters are hyper-aware of the poverty of the city, the people asking them for money constantly, all their friends dying of AIDS into a mundane event, as well as being hyper aware of their own bodies moving through the city and through unrequited love. this book switches around forms, dreams, genders, always with fear of the future, of waking up alone. the complicated multi-personalities of the jewish family dynamic in the script/play sections was, lovingly, the most grounding aspect of the narrative for me.
• 
  Max

  A friend told me this was her favorite book, and the whole time I was reading it I kept thinking "really?!". Honestly, trying to figure out why my friend liked it was the only reason I saw this book through to the end. Well, and the fact that it was so short made this easier. Something about the arty style of the writing felt forced and hard to follow. Dreadful. I haven't read more by this author, and maybe if I am truly desperate for something to read I will give another of her books a try.
• 
  Gloss

  The most extraordinary and accomplished (to date) of Schulman's amazing body of work. This turns Freud's Dora on its ear, inside out, and dresses her in drag, and it's just so sad and powerful, all the way through.
• 
  Zoe Hannay

  this was really good truly underrated i think about it all the time read this you guys
• 
  Travis

  It's hard to summarise this book without spoiling it. It's about Anna and Doc and psychology and...stuff. Really, I have no idea how to summarise, so that will have to do. It's about a woman coming to terms with being a lesbian and what that means to her. (But not in a "coming out" sort of way.)[return][return]Anyway! This is very experimental, with some scenes written in script format, and it took me a little longer to get into than After Delores did, but it did hook me and I ended up really enjoying it.[return][return]I still have three more of Schulman's books here to read and I'm very excited about them.
• 
  Xilks

  I had to read this for my LGQ lit class. It was an interesting read. You do need to know a bit about Freud and his case studies to get more out of this story than just the average stumble-upon reader. I could see the big plot twist coming but a lot of people [in my class] didn't until we were discussing things and I mentioned it. They all latched on to that idea henceforth and it ended up being the case. It wasn't much of a surprise for me, but it was still interesting. It's an okay read, again--more relevant if someone knows a bit about psychology or had read up on Freud and the cases referenced in this book [Anna O. and Dora].
• 
  Candace

  “I’m not trying to pass, except to myself. I mean, how many times can a person be told in a multitude of ways that she will never be fully human because she is not a man? The logical conclusion is to become a man to herself, simply to retain the most basic self-respect.”
  
  “What are you going to do now, Anna, cry in my ear? Crying is a manipulation. Saying how you feel is a manipulation because it gives information with the hopes of impacting my behavior. Get it? Get it?”
  
  Two (unrelated) feelings that have dominated my adult life and I never expected to see articulated in fiction.
• 
  Harper

  I'm still trying to figure out what I think of this. I think there are some undertones that, if intended as some sort of universal narrative (which may or may not be the case) about womanhood/lesbianism, it could be read as anti-trans. i'm just not sure. Nevertheless, the book is funny, and it does have its moments of clarity and insight.
• 
  Bronwen

  Anna O. is a lesbian living in East Village in 1991 who is ready to give up on love. Doc is an lay therapist who hands out his card on street corners, charges $10 an hour, and allows only 3 sessions.
  
  They talk about listening.
• 
  Caty

  Stay tuned for a piece about growing up as the last generation relying on retrogressive Freudianism, library homosexuality, and brief mentions of "Lesbianism"--with the capital L--and how it helped me IDENTIFY with Empathy (in Emily Books)
• 
  Ryan Mishap

  Often witty, but the over-all writing isn't that great.
• 
  Christine

  "Freud is just an idea. It can work for you or against you." In some ways Empathy is a departure from Schulman's previous 4 novels, but it might be more accurate to say that it's an intellectual/Freudian distillation of her usual themes or that the intellectual/psychoanalytic is brought to the forefront instead of the subtext. In any event, this book is far less "plotty" than her previous work. Instead it uses Freudian dream-analysis, metaphor, and probably a lot of other Freudian concepts that I don't know the words for to explore ideas such as: self, homosexuality and homophobia, morality, listening, conflict, war, love, rejection, AIDS, Jewish funerals, pop culture, femininity, and misogyny. I would not choose this as the FIRST Schulman book I read; if you're already familiar the themes she works with, the dream-like non-linear style will be easier to deal with.
• 
  Fahasa

  Empathy
  
  Influential popular philosopher Roman Krznaric argues our brains are wired for social connection: empathy is at the heart of who we are. It's an essential, transforming quality we must develop for the 21st Century.
  
  Through encounters with actors, activists, groundbreaking designers, undercover journalists, nurses, bankers and neuroscientists, Krznaric defines a new breed of adventurer. He sets out the six life-enhancing habits of highly empathic people, whose skills enable them to connect with others in extraordinary ways.
  
  Empathy has the power to transform relationships, from the personal to the political. Krznaric contends that, as we move on from an age of introspection, empathy will be key to fundamental social change - making this book a manifesto for revolution.
  
  https://www.fahasa.com/
• 
  Véronique

  I liked the script chapters and i appreciated the originality (in its style & form) of this novel, but overall i felt a bit like it was trying to show me it was smarter than me. I also did not like Anna confronting her family relentlessly about her homosexuality; those bits felt heavy-handed to me, and maybe a bit "dated".
• 
  LILY JOYCE

  A reminder of what a really good book entails and sets the standard for what deserves a full 5 stars. I really enjoyed reading Empathy, and how this particular copy included an intro and supplementary material as context which otherwise might have gone over my head.
  
  I learnt so much and really recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• 
  Bethany

  Pretty good read! I liked the characters, the setting, and the framing. Felt very scripty, and reminded me a bit of absurdists. There is a gender/transition/identity pivot the story relies on however that I don't know was entirely successful.
• 
  Triathlete_Reads

  Don't get scared by the first half or so of the book. I swear it gets really cool!
• 
  Never

  huh
• 
  Shelley

  The aesthetic/vibe of this book...so weird...but that's why I literally love it so much. Also the plot twist was very cool. If I were to write a book, I would want it to be like this.
• 
  Paula

  Psicoanálisis y lesbianismo: mi combinación tóxica favorita. Sin embargo, en esta ocasión, tal combinación no se usa para tacharnos a las lesbianas de inmaduras, de masoquistas o de narcisistas, como suele hacerse. En lugar de eso, Schulman introduce un diálogo muy característico de ella, lleno de consciencia política y moral. La protagonista lesbiana se describe a sí misma como una persona feliz, pero que a veces tiene ideas sobre "estructuras", y llega a ser atendida por un psicoanalista judío, con quien descubre que tiene numerosas similitudes. La novela, tanto por la forma como por la trama en sí, resulta bastante experimental. En el aspecto formal cabe mencionar que el libro es una especie de collage, compuesto por capítulos en distintos formatos: guion, cuento corto, obra de teatro, receta, poema, anuncio, y hasta un ensayo escolar. Me queda claro que este fue un trabajo que le trajo mucho crecimiento artístico y personal a la autora, pues se nota el esfuerzo en la parte de autodescubrimiento y revelaciones de último momento, como si otra Sarah, en su misma cabeza, hubiera tenido voz al final. También, a partir de esta obra, llego a entender mejor sus insistentes reclamos respecto a la marginación de la literatura lésbica en Estados Unidos, y que esta permanece injustamente condenada al marketing de nicho cuando hay literatura lésbica que merece un asiento con el repertorio universal.
• 
  Oriana

  Another amazing-sounding book rec'd by the awesome
  Emily Books.
  
  Anna O. is a thirtyish New Yorker living in the squalid East Village of 1990. Dead friends and junkies on the sidewalk are a fact of life, and worsening political unrest is threatening to destroy the world as she knows it. Plus, she's always falling for the wrong women. She needs help, and she finds it -- or does she? -- in the person of Doc, a street-corner therapist who charges $10 and only sees each of his patients three times because "I get what I need out of it by the third session and you can too." Doc diagnoses Anna with empathy, but it seems like her problems might be more complicated. Such as: does she exist? Does Doc? Do you?
• 
  elissa

  recommended to me. a little dramatic as the characters seem to do the opposite of what i try to do in my own life: avoid turmoil. a Jewish lesbian who has identity issues and finds herself in a world of, well, herself, trying to identify why she always hangs herself up on, well, herself. a "twist" ending that is the most interesting part of the book which only lasts three pages. i hear this author has better stuff.
• 
  Vicky

  I feel bad that my focus went elsewhere for the last third or fourth of this book because the prose was very engaging and reminded me of E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime which is one of my favorites. I need to reread this sometime because there's this turning point, realization, that made me go, whoaaa, and wish that I had been more attentive all along. My problem, Doc would say, is that I don't listen :(