The Othello Response: Dealing with Jealousy, Suspicion and Rage in Your Relationship

Rating:
Summary: Does not deliver
Review: I have been struggling with a true Othello syndrome .. where my mate accuses me of having a non-existent affair. This book devotes one paragraph to that specific problem, and the advice is summarized as "get professional help". Thanks. This book overadvertises & underdelivers, and is probably useful for mild cases of jealousy. If you are the victim of serious delusional jealousy then get yourself a copy of The Green Eyed Marriage, which is based on real psychiatric research and helped me cope tremendously. If your mate drinks or abuses substance, get yourself to Al-Anon.

Rating:
Summary: Real Help for a Common Problem
Review: Since I have a divorced friend who is recovering from an abusive marriage of more than 20 years, I am always scouring bookstore shelves looking for anything and everything that can help her understand what she has been through. As soon as I began to page through The Othello Response, a number of light bulbs lit up in my head all at once. I suddenly saw that many of the problems my friend had confronted (a husband who never wanted her to leave the house, one who did everything to make her feel unattractive and dumb) had a very real link to her ex-husband's unspoken fear that she would attract other men if he let her enjoy any freedom in her life. My only quibble with the book is that it gets maybe a little overly intellectual at times, delving into the hidden lessons of the Othello play. But you can skip that if you want and, overall, I think the authors of this book are right. Many of the odd anger-related problems people encounter in their relationships can be traced to unspoken jealousy. Here's a book that can help people understand and remedy some of the odd problems that unsettle their world. I also think it is great that the authors took pains to include everybody - both gay people and straight in their research and advice. It's not just a book for married people.