Stephen Mitchell is a familiar name among students of analysis—founder and editor of Psychoanalytic Dialogues, author of several well-regarded books, training analyst at the White Institute, and leading exponent of relational perspectives in psychoanalysis. This volume is also part of the Relational Perspectives Book Series put out by The Analytic Press. This much said, the reader should know what to expect.

Mitchell writes well and engagingly. His text flows easily, is immensely informative, entertaining in its own way, and—not to be ignored—provocative. Mitchell has a gift for exposition, a way of focusing and casting ideas that have long been familiar in a form that brings new and interesting perspectives to light. While