A Version of Love

by Millicent Dillon

"By turns tantalizing, chilling, spellbinding...an icy dissection of how men and women can drive each other completely berserk."―Carolyn See Not since D. M. Thomas's bestseller The White Hotel has there been such a remarkable novel about women, hysteria, and the profession of psychiatry as practiced by men. Set in California and Mexico in the late 1950s and early 1960s, A Version of Love is a bizarrely riveting tale of transgressive desire. Its lead players form a precarious triangle: a psychoanalyst who sleeps with his patient; a female "hysteric" on the verge of being cured; and a loner in the Sierra foothills who goes panning for gold and then love. "A dazzling achievement" (Robert Olen Butler), "a work of almost spookily controlled intelligence," A Version of Love is a breakthrough novel by Millicent Dillon, who "deserves to be honored as an American master of fiction" (Philip Lopate). "A brilliant new novel. The assurance and economy with which she gives us this strangely gripping and powerful story...are the hallmarks of a consummate artist....Her finest work yet."―Diane Johnson

Genres: Novels

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Millicent Dillon was an American writer. She was born in New York City and studied physics at Hunter College. She also worked variously at Princeton University, Standard Oil Company, Nuclear Energy for the Propulsion of Aircraft, and Northrop Aircraft. In 1965, at the age of 40, Dillon enrolled in the creative writing program at San Francisco State University. Subsequently, she taught at Foothill College in Los Altos, California. She also worked at Stanford University for nearly a decade.
Millicent became a full-time writer in 1983. She is best known for her scholarly works on the American writers Jane Bowles and Paul Bowles. These include a couple of biographies and a collection of letters, as well as The Viking Portable Paul and Jane Bowles (1994) which Dillon edited. Besides these, she also wrote short stories, novels, and plays. Her novel Harry Gold (2000) was nominated for the PEN Faulkner Award. She won five O. Henry awards and also received a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Dillon is the mother of the author Wendy Lesser.

Reviews

[Danellia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was more confusing than enticing at times, but I stuck with it—and it had its moments. The exploration of the patient–doctor relationship and the inner dilemmas they face was fascinating. Challenging, yes, but I'll give it some points for its psychological depth and insight into human desire and obsession.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 4.5

Ticks the boxes for me:
Beautiful writing
Fascinating characters
Deep inner
Misunderstandings and misinterpretations - of others, of self

Dillon's writing pulled me along, I read it at a gallop