THE LANGUAGE OF DREAMS

In Ehrenberg’s debut novel, a doctor and patient adapt to their changing circumstances by finding solace in each other.

Seasoned clinical psychologist Avery Frontiera has a new, court-ordered patient, Clare Thomas Lane, who loves breaking rules, struggles with kleptomania, and would rather be anywhere but a therapist’s couch. The strict boundaries of the psychologist-patient relationship are blurred from their very first session, when Clare finds Avery’s negative pregnancy test in the private office bathroom. Despite this unorthodox beginning, they make progress and begin to trust and even like each other in the ensuing months. Clare gains insight into her compulsion to steal, addresses the early loss of her mother, and deals with her biological father’s rejection through various methods, including dream analysis, free association, and art therapy; Ehrenberg’s handling of the psychoanalysis process in these scenes is expert and delicate. As Avery goes to her own therapy sessions, readers learn about her miscarriage years before and her haunting suspicion that her husband, Roland, was actually relieved by it and may be hiding something from her. She and Clare learn a lot from each other as they go through life-changing transformations, but they can only interact during their 50-minute sessions. When Clare brings in a positive pregnancy test as her “show and tell” item of the week and asks Avery to adopt her baby, their relationship is put to the test—as Avery is considering saying yes even though it could jeopardize her career. Over the course of the novel, Ehrenberg expertly orchestrates several different characters and plotlines, which all meet in a surprising place; she also ably gives even the most unlikable characters sympathetic qualities. At times, the narrative feels slow and slightly unfocused as it bounces among Avery’s, Clare’s, and Roland’s stories, and the ending feels a little too tidy and optimistic. Overall, though, this is a strong character study about how people react when backed into a corner.

A complex and often engaging novel about temptation and ethical quandaries.