The Therapist

“Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.”

During his appointments with clients, the therapist repeatedly uses this Henry David Thoreau quotation. The simile, comparing happiness to an elusive butterfly, suggests that contentment can only be achieved when one is not actively pursuing it. The therapist’s use of the celebrated American writer’s words underlines the theme of Trust and Betrayal. The borrowed philosophy makes him appear authoritative, helping to gain his patients’ trust. However, the wise words directly conflict with the therapist’s methods, which involve encouraging clients to view their husbands as the source of their unhappiness.

“I angle my body toward her and, in full therapist mode, ask the standard questions.”

The novel’s Interludes provide direct insight into the first-person viewpoint of the titular therapist. Throughout these sections, Paris ensures that their meaning is ambiguous, allowing the reader to interpret them in more ways than one. The reference to launching into “full therapist mode” and asking “the standard questions” could indicate an impostor or simply a professional who has become jaded at the repetitive nature of their job.

“It’s very pretty here, like a movie set depicting an enviable life in the capital city. I didn’t really believe places like this existed until Leo showed me the photos and even then, it had felt too good to be true.”

Throughout the novel, the setting of the Circle serves as a motif, representing the theme of Trust and Betrayal. Alice’s comparison of the gated community to “a movie set” is insightful, as she quickly discovers nothing there is quite what it seems.