Customer Reviews

Self-Portrait of Someone Else

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Although disguised as a "horror story" (labels are more than misleading in some cases), the real attraction of this book is the voice of the main character, the stream of his thoughts and they are so compelling, so real that you end up believing you actually know him. I was much more fascinated by the self-description of the main character than by the plot itself, meticulously crafted though it is. These are not the kind of thoughts "anyone" could have when feeling a little off balance. They are distinctive in that they are constantly exposing the limits of our supposed "knowledge" of ourselves by means of psychology, learning, introspection, selfhelp etc., or simply when dealing with those we think 'close' to us (the look at parents, parenting and family life in general is harrowing), but also as applied to marketing (one of the subplots is a corrosive satire of the corporate world as seen through the eyes of someone who just can't fool himself anymore). Eaton asks the right questions and forces us to ask it of ourselves. This dark tale is a perfect companion for another book by the same author called "How to Find Yorself" where I think he's asking the same questions, but this time under the guise of a "humour" book. After reading both I thought there should be a third to make a trilogy.

This book has influenced me for better or worse over the last eight years. Self-Portrait of Someone else is about an individual who discovers that he is broken. He desires to help the world, yet how can he actually help anyone when he is mentally ill. Although there are many twist and turns to this story, it is psycologically accurate. I still read this book 3 times a year.