Confessions of a Sociopath by M.E. Thomas.

Book Review by Cari Mayhew.

This is one of the most entertaining non-fiction books I’ve read in a long time! The first chapter was compelling and unputdownable.

Although most of the confessions are those resulting from family interactions and family politics, there are several confessions from her career, primarily in law.  Though she is careful enough in her book not to incriminate herself in anything that would be too detrimental to her.  The chapter on “romantic relationships” is particularly entertaining – she differentiates between her lovers as exploits and possessions.

The book doesn’t provide a linear procession of events, but that said the topics seem to gel well and don’t stop and start.

Perhaps surprisingly, it is not the confessions themselves that make the book so good, but its function as a window into the inner workings of the author’s sociopathic mind.  There were insights here you would never have gleaned from a textbook.  I was intrigued to learn that her motivations rise not so much from being overwhelmed by the carrot, as being unimpressed by the stick. She also provides an insider’s view on whether her sociopathic nature is a consequence of pure nature or lack of proper nurture.

She aims to provide a balanced view on who she is.  Despite describing herself as narcissistic and egotistical, she lets the reader in on wrongs she has done to herself, such as blowing her savings and attempting self-harm.

Astoundingly, she manages to reconcile her sociopathic nature with her Mormon beliefs.  She claims to be a child of God, and argues that her behaviour is consistent with Mormon preaching.  For religion provides a prosthetic moral compass.

With all this in the mix, you have to wonder whether the author is really representative of all sociopaths.  Pity there are so few books of this ilk to compare.

If anything the book was too brief, there were so many things she could have elaborated on.  The author exudes charm and her pull on my attention was magnetic.  I would have loved to have read more. Five stars!