Florence Lautrédou, a graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure and professor of modern literature, is a psychoanalyst and life coach. As well as writing novels, she is the author of Cet élan qui change nos vies, l’inspiration (Inspiration: the Impulse that Changes our Lives), also published by Odile Jacob.

How to understand the wounds of passion and find true love
How do we avoid getting trapped by love? Between the idealised model of love with its rather outdated image of the eternal couple, and new forms of relationships — reconstituted families, multiple partners, specialised hook-up sites — for many women, it remains just as uncertain that they will find fulfilment in true love. A happy love, built upon self-respect, that does not expect either party to deny a part of themselves that is profoundly felt.

What are these shadows that are sometimes cast over a love affair — signs of disappointment, of falling out of love, or of an imminent split? What do they reveal of our personality? Why does conditioning sometimes prevent the fulfilment of true love? How do we understand these barriers, and overcome them?

Eight studies of women confronted by the pain of love allow us to understand what is meant by the illusions of love. Decoded, these little novels reveal what is at play in a relationship. All are therapeutic accounts which can help us to reflect upon our own journey to understand the wounds of love, and find true love.