The Therapist

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Interlude 1-Chapter 11

Interlude 2-Chapter 20

Interlude 3-Chapter 32

Interlude 4-Chapter 43

Interludes 6-7

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

Trust and Betrayal

Content Warning: This section includes violence, murder, suicide, and likely instances of abuse.

Trust and betrayal are central themes of the novel, creating much of the narrative’s tension and atmosphere of unease. Underlining how meaningful human connections are rooted in trust, Paris examines the emotional impact of betrayal. Depicting deceit in its many forms, the author questions whether complete trust between individuals is possible.

The Therapist presents a variety of relationships undermined by a lack of trust, from romantic partnerships to friendships and professional interactions. Alice and Leo’s relationship is damaged by Leo’s lies and omissions. Meanwhile, Nina Maxwell’s murder causes residents of the Circle to mistrust their friends and spouses. Neighbors suspect one another of involvement in the death, wives speculate on their husbands’ fidelity, and Alice suspects them all of a conspiracy. The therapist at the heart of the narrative also explores the nature of professional trust. The antagonist’s victimization of women who seek his expertise highlights the absolute trust upon which the therapist/client relationship is based.

At the beginning of the novel, Alice views trust as a crucial ingredient in her relationship with Leo, stating, “I love that I have him to share things with, that I no longer have to face everything alone” (22). However, while she has shared her most shameful secret with Leo (her role in her family’s death), the exchange of confidence has not been reciprocal. Her inability to forgive Leo for withholding his criminal past stems from the imbalance his deceit creates in their relationship. Through Alice’s interactions with others, Paris highlights that while trust is essential to intimacy, it also involves considerable emotional risk. The false trust Alice places first in Leo and then in Thomas Grainger leaves her susceptible to manipulation, deception, and betrayal. The author uses Alice’s faith in the two men to create plot twists when they are revealed to be untrustworthy. While Leo's deceit leads to feelings of hurt, anger, and disillusionment, Thomas’s more elaborate charade proves to be life-threatening.

Although Alice is a victim of deception and betrayal, she is also guilty of abusing the trust of others. Spying on her neighbors and reporting back on her interactions with them, she tests her new friendships to their breaking points. At the same time, Alice lies to everyone about her meetings with Thomas Grainger. Most significantly, the protagonist also exploits the implicit trust between narrator and reader by omitting a crucial detail about her past from her narrative. Condemning others for their dishonesty, Alice justifies her own deceitfulness, convincing herself that her actions are necessary to uncover the truth. Her double standards highlight how the motivations behind betrayal are often complex and multifaceted. While some betrayals are designed to deliberately harm others, most spring from less-malign impulses such as self-preservation, conflicting allegiances, or the desire to present a better version of oneself to others.

In the final lines of The Therapist Alice professes that her new life will be guided by “[t]he truth, and nothing but the truth” (360). However, the author’s exploration of trust and betrayal ultimately encourages readers to consider whether absolute honesty in relationships is ever achievable.

The Complications of Community Dynamics

The gated community of the Circle and the way its residents interact is central to The Therapist. Through Alice’s perspective, Paris’s novel presents the challenges and contradictions of living within a small, insular neighborhood. In doing so, the author explores issues of belonging, trust, individuality, and the veneers people maintain within close-knit settings.

As a new resident of the Circle, Alice is an outsider to the small and exclusive gated community. Her early experiences of enviously watching the interactions of the other women emphasize the isolation experienced by those who are excluded from tight-knit communities. Ironically, living in close proximity to others only heightens Alice’s initial sense of alienation. The protagonist’s desire to make meaningful connections with her neighbors is illustrated in her eagerness to hold a drinks party.

However, throughout the novel, Alice experiences a conflict between longing to fit in to the community and her values and impulses as an individual. Paris explores the tension between individuality and conformity as Alice presses on with investigating Nina Maxwell’s murder despite her well-founded fear of being ostracized. As an outsider, Alice is well placed to challenge the status quo of the Circle by digging up its secrets. Although the rest of the community is not directly involved in the murder, Paris illustrates how they close ranks due to collective guilt over their past actions. The residents’ willingness to accept Oliver as the murderer, despite their misgivings, leads to a culture of denial and silence.

Alice’s experiences in the Circle also highlight the conflict between the desire for communal intimacy and a need for privacy. The clock-like construction of the housing development is specifically designed so residents can see each other’s properties. At times, Alice finds it “comforting to see lights on” (172) as a sign of nearby human activity. At others, she suspects that neighbors, such as Tim, are spying on her, just as she is watching them. Paris creates an uncomfortable atmosphere of voyeurism as the residents’ comings and goings are on permanent display.

Neighborly gestures are also open to dual interpretation, depending on Alice’s state of mind. For example, Alice’s missing garden fence panel initially seems to suggest a charming spirit of community cooperation as residents borrow lawnmowers and cut one another’s grass. At first, Alice even anticipates using the gap as a convenient route to visit her new friend, Eve. However, once Alice believes that one of her neighbors may be a murderer, the fence represents an alarming security lapse. The protagonist’s changing view of the other residents of the Circle illustrates that trust is a vital component of healthy community dynamics.

The Repercussions of the Past

The Therapist explores the enduring impact of past events on the present. As the novel progresses, it becomes clear that the Circle attracts residents who are seeking to escape the past. However, despite their efforts to forget, buried secrets, unresolved issues, and traumatic memories remain a source of psychological unease. Paris demonstrates how the past continues to trigger intense responses in the present, shaping the characters' thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

Following the tragic death of her sister and parents in a car accident, Alice spends almost “twenty years living in the past” (358). The protagonist views her move to the Circle with Leo as a fresh start, but she is still profoundly affected by the event. Despite her change of location, she is still plagued by guilt and regret at her role in the deaths of her family. Alice’s belief that she is being visited by the ghost of Nina Maxwell reflects how she is haunted by the memory of her dead sister. The protagonist’s interpretation of a dangerous intruder as a supernatural visitation illustrates the way the past distorts her perception of present events. Seeking atonement and closure, she convinces herself that she “owe[s] it to Nina to stay” (109). Consequently, she remains in the Circle even when it becomes clear that her life may be in danger.

Unbeknownst to Alice, Leo is also attempting to leave his history behind him when he moves to the Circle. While he has officially paid for past actions with a prison sentence, he wants to shake off the stigma of his criminal record. His desire for a new beginning, untainted by the past, is indicated by his name change. Nevertheless, Leo also finds it impossible to move on. Paris emphasizes the emotional toll that concealing his past takes on Leo. Constantly on his guard, he lives in a perpetual state of anxiety that Alice will discover his secret.

After Nina Maxwell’s murder and Oliver’s death by suicide, the other residents of the Circle are also keen to make a fresh start. However, the community’s unvoiced awareness that Oliver may have been innocent continues to cause suspicion and impact relationships. For example, Tamsin’s fear that Connor may have been Nina’s lover continues to eat away at her. Meanwhile, the elderly couple, Edward and Lorna, are literally pursued by their past despite their attempts to escape it. Like Leo, the couple is drawn to the Circle as they believe its gated security will shield them from their past. However, their son follows them there, inflicting his murderous inclinations on the community. Paris highlights that even the killer’s choice of victims is driven by former events: His rejection by a blond girlfriend years earlier prompts him to take revenge on women who physically resemble her.

Throughout The Therapist, the author explores the profound impact of history on the present. Despite attempts to escape the past, Paris’s characters are forced to confront the choices and actions that continue to shape their lives. The moral of the story is that unresolved issues will always return to haunt individuals, no matter how deeply they are buried.