Clinical Intimacy

by Ewan Gass

S was a good person. Such a good person. They all told me that – so it had to be true.

S is unique. It seems that most people think so – his mother, his sister, his best friend, but relative strangers too. In fact, they and others all have much to say in the inquiry into S. When prompted, when the tape recorder in front of them clicks, a succession of family, friends and professional contacts in turn describe his shapeshifting charisma. All struggle to account for the enigmatic figure who has wandered through their lives, doing some good things – and some bad. Yet as they talk, it becomes apparent that they are not so much telling his story, as they are their own – of their common need for love, touch, retribution, closure. Together, their tissue of voices reveal the complexity of care.

In a series of intimate snapshots charting the relations of one ordinary yet extraordinary man, Clinical Intimacy explores the emotional conditions and moral consequences of a life lived in service of satisfying others.

Genres: Queer, Mental Health, LGBT

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 25, 2024

Reviews

[Marcus (Lit_Laugh_Luv) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know how I feel about this book - I've truly never read anything like it in terms of storytelling or content. The closest analogs I can think of are Hunchback meets Nefando, I guess?

The story is told in a series of confessionals and testimonies from people associated with an enigmatic man named S. We're aware he's at the centre of some initially unknown controversy, and his life of secrecy has led to his loved ones trying to piece together the truth. As a reader, you're intentionally kept in the dark, and even the big 'reveal' is not particularly comprehensive or clear. The book explores the unknowability of people and so the lack of details makes sense narratively, but it doesn't necessarily lead to a satisfying conclusion. The book doesn't necessarily hinge on the twist, as there's pretty clear foreshadowing early on, but I still wanted more resolution from an otherwise fragmented narrative.

The execution is fine, but the lack of character names (everyone is denoted by vague codenames) and chronology result in a book that, at times, feels artificially confusing for the sake of reinforcing the thesis that people are mysterious. There are some promising conversations around autonomy, sex, consent, and the ethics of care work - but they don't get explored thoroughly, given we never hear from S directly.

I have to give this credit for being a very unique read, but it's hard to ignore some of the wasted potential with the premise. I'm glad I read this, as I seldom see it discussed and I've been curious about it, but I'd really struggle to find a target audience to recommend this to.

Substack | Bookstagram | BookTok | BookTube | Bookshop.org Store | Libro.fm Bonus Offer

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clinical Intimacy’s mysterious antihero comes to life through interviews with his family, friends and clients. The brilliant oral history format builds a picture of isolation among vulnerable populations, only alleviated by care and touch—especially during Covid-19. Ewan Gass’s intricate story reminds us of the ultimate unknowability of other people.

(One of my favourites from my McKitterick Prize judging this past year. It made the shortlist.)

[Chanel Chapters]

Couldn’t get into it

DNF

[Eden Gatsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can honestly say I've never read anything like this book, and I mean that in the best way. It's a beautiful and somewhat confusing exploration of one human from multiple points of view, trying to know who this single person is, whether they're good or bad, and whether their actions are right or wrong.

When describing encounters and experiences with this person, it reveals more about the one talking than the one being talked about which leads to a very raw and honest book about longing, love, closeness and care. I loved how this book touched on all kinds of different relationships from parent and child, siblings, friendships, romance and caretaking.

S, the person this is about, remains just out of our reach. We can never fully know who he is, his story and what makes him tick and because of that he remains this ghost-like figure throughout the book. Always there, ever present but always able to evade us when we think we're close enough to touch him.

Although I found it expertly written and very cleverly done, I did at times long for some context as someone who really does need things spelling out for them quite often. It left me confused but also keen to read on and unravel the mystery of why we're discussing S and who S actually is.

[Inayah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise of the book was actually really interesting and I loved the way it was set out like with all the different narrators and how they all felt very distinct (although i fear sometimes it was a little confusing and i wish they did have names bc i was struggling a little to remember who it was / their story so i kind of think it may be interesting to annotate and reread each person account together rather?)

I fear I might need to reread because there’s deffo a lot of things I missed and things I’m like now I know the plot I will actually notice/ make sense ig? But overall it was really intriguing even though I spent like half the time thinking wtf is going on you definitely are interested enough to keep reading and i guess it deals with a lot of serious issues in a way that makes you think which i really enjoyed.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

super interesting concept and structured as a dissertation research project - touching on themes of sexuality, the care system/NHS, COVID and sex work. I logged for more depth rather than breadth but enjoyed reading this, if not feeling slightly like I missed something towards the end

[Amy Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIVE stars this book SLAPS !!! it is unlike ANYTHING else out there and it makes me THINK and it is SO GOOD !!!

[Elodie]

I don’t really know how to rate this book. The story is interesting, it questions the care, how caregivers get intimate, how patients think they know and as a caregiver myself it’s a new way to see it. It also brings new insight about sex workers, the need of physical contact people have (for people who have only physical contact for care). I liked reading it. However, some things are not well developped

[Heather Dinwoodie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this a real slog to get through, despite having been intrigued by its premise. The narration is impossible to follow, I kept having to flick back to work out who was speaking and whether I'd heard from them before. Worse still, I didn't feel that any of the (many) voices were remotely believable, which I'd argue is pretty important in a book entirely written as a series of monologues.

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the concept and idea of this book, but just didn’t enjoy reading it. Although I knew I would be kept at arm’s length from S, I still expected to care. I liked what this book wanted to explore, and think the idea was interesting.

At times I enjoyed the reading experience as well, but I just couldn’t stay invested in the characters like I was at the start of the book.

[Merricat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn’t quite love the ending but I loved everything else