The Impossibility of Sex, by Susie Orbach (Penguin, £7.99 in UK)

Adam is a serial seducer who, on turning to his psychotherapist for help, finds himself falling for her

Adam is a serial seducer who, on turning to his psychotherapist for help, finds himself falling for her. In turn his therapist must analyse her feelings as well as his. This fictional account is just one of six wonderful, imaginary clinical cases to be found in The Impossibility of Sex, giving the reader an insight into what it's really like in the therapy room. Drawing from her experience as a psychotherapist, Orbach - who has a string of books to her name since the 1970s classic Fat Is A Feminist Issue - has conjured up characters with intriguing, deep-running problems. The compulsive liar, the boyfriend basher, the man with the eating disorder, the woman adopted at birth, and the couple who have lost interest in sex. For those who thought therapy was a one-way process it will be a revelation, underscoring the fact that the therapist brings his/her self into the process too - and the feelings and thoughts that can flow from that.