Schopenhauer's Porcupines cover

Schopenhauer's Porcupines

by Deborah Anna Luepnitz

"Are human beings destined to find perfect complements in love or are we more like the fabled porcupines - forever jostling for a place between painful involvement and loveless isolation? That is the question at the heart of this stunning new book. "People seek therapy when things have gone terribly wrong in their lives," observes Deborah Anna Luepnitz, a gifted therapist and a writer of uncommon talent. "They arrive in the grip of a death wish or some unspeakable obsession, but what is at stake always turns out to be intimacy - the endless dilemmas of loyalty and desire."" "Schopenhauer's Porcupines recounts five stories from Luepnitz's practice, with patients who range from the super-rich to the homeless - as they grapple with panic attacks, psychosomatic illness, marital despair and sexual recklessness. Intimate, original and triumphantly funny, Schopenhauer's Porcupines goes further than any other book in unveiling the secrets of "how talking helps.""--Jacket.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?