I was a little hesitant to read a story about a hypnotist, however, I found the hypnotist’s approach is not unlike a counsellor. Often counsellors encourage their clients to relax as they start a session and help them to find their own answers to their difficulties, which was Ellen’s approach in this story.
Ellen is in a new relationship with Patrick and discovers that he is being stalked by his ex-girlfriend, Saskia. Ellen, rather than being alarmed is quite fascinated. She is intrigued by Saskia’s behaviour and would quite like to meet her, except she doesn’t realise Saskia is already posing as one of her clients.
One of the clever techniques Liane employs is to tell Saskia’s side of the story in the first person. This gives us an understanding of how Saskia feels and why she is stalking Patrick. This approach leads the reader to quickly feel empathy for her. Liane shows when we take the time to understand another person’s story, we will have compassion for them.
Another thing I found interesting in this story was the temptation Ellen felt to use hypnotism to manipulate Patrick into agreeing to do things for her. While most of us don’t use hypnosis, often we are tempted to manipulate others.
Overall another great Moriarty story.
Book Review : The Hypnotist’s Love Story
