Love's Labor: How We Break and Make the Bonds of Love

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?

“A profound meditation on love and healing. Powerful and important. Essential reading.”—Tara Westover, author of Educated

In these brief, powerful accounts drawn from his more than thirty-five years counseling patients, Stephen Grosz brings us into the lives of people who cannot fully connect to their loved ones. Grosz helps his patients map their internal worlds to uncover the unconscious fears and desires sabotaging their relationships.

Hoping to avoid love’s end, one man obsessively tends to everyone around him. Another retreats from the world, unable to live fully until he’s able to confront the failure of a tragic romance. Adultery and betrayal tear apart two married couples, but in surprising ways, love persists between the spouses.

These true stories of everyday suffering—and profound relief—display Grosz’s deep understanding of the wayward heart and the obstacles to enduring connection.