An utterly compelling, drily funny, and, at times, jaw-dropping account of life as a diagnosed sociopath from a music manager who retrained as a therapist to better understand her condition, and help other sociopaths.

''A surprising, thoughtful and deeply personal exploration of what it means to be a sociopath.'' - Pandora Sykes ''Addictively page-turning'' - The Telegraph Sociopath: A Memoir is a true story of a life lived on the edge of the law and an account of one woman''s battle to gain a deeper understanding of people who, like her, are sociopaths. Jaw-dropping and moving in equal measure, you will be thinking about this story for a long time to come. ''Your friends would probably describe me as nice. But guess what? I can''t stand your friends. I''m a liar. I''m a thief. I''m highly manipulative. I don''t care what other people think. I''m capable of almost anything.'' Patric Gagne knew she was different from a young age. Although feeling intense love for her family and best friend, David, these connections weren''t enough to make her ''good'', or reduce her feelings of apathy and frustration. Growing up, her behaviour escalated from petty theft through to breaking and entering, stalking and worse... It was as an adult, she realized she was a sociopath. This discovery forced her to question the official descriptions of sociopathy. After all, she had a plan for her life, had nurtured close relationships and was doing her best (most of the time) to avoid harming others. While her darker impulses warred against her attempts to live a settled, loving life with her partner, Patric began to wonder - was there a way for sociopaths to integrate happily into society? And could she find it before her own behaviour went a step too far? ''A fascinating memoir'' - Stylist magazine ''She is compelling, like a movie character - a sociopath who''s beautiful, warm and funny, articulate and charming'' - The Guardian

Autorentext
Patric Gagne is a writer, former therapist, and advocate for people suffering from sociopathic, psychopathic, and anti-social personality disorders. She earned a PhD in clinical psychology with a dissertation that examined the relationship between sociopathy and anxiety. This research became the groundwork for her continued studies on sociopathic disorder, as well as the foundation for her memoir. She did her undergraduate work at UCLA and earned her masters and doctorate at the California Graduate Institute of The Chicago School.

Klappentext

**The instant Sunday Times bestseller

'Deliciously wicked and insightful' - The Guardian
'Addictively page-turning' - The Telegraph
'Thought-provoking and surprisingly life-affirming' - Cosmopolitan
'Arresting and addictive' - The Times**

Sociopath: A Memoir is the astoundingly honest true story of a life lived on the edge of the law, and a fascinating account of one woman's battle to understand her diagnosis. Moving and illuminating, it will challenge everything you thought you knew about sociopathy.

"Empathy, guilt, shame, remorse, jealousy, even love - these are considered social emotions," she said. "We're not born with them. They're learned."

From stabbing elementary school classmates with pencils to stealing car keys from fellow frat party guests and joyriding around her college town, to breaking and entering, even stalking, Patric Gagne doesn't hold back when it comes to describing the behaviour that, eventually, made her realize she is a sociopath. But her discovery forced her to question the official descriptions of sociopathy.

While her darker impulses warred against her attempts to live a settled, loving life with her partner, Patric began to wonder - was there a way for sociopaths to integrate happily into society? And could she find it before her own behaviour went a step too far?

Reader praise for Sociopath:

'A brilliant insight into a complicated world' - 5 reader review*

*'A brave, unforgettable book that challenges you to see the world - and those on its edges - differently - 5 reader review

'Incredibly insightful and eye opening' - 5* reader review**