Good idea and interesting topic for a memoire but very badly executed. The author - as a diagnosed sociopath - showed a lot of courage to tell her story, unfortunately poor writing makes it difficult to read.

I love medical memoirs and also psychological books of any kind, and found this book to be absolutely fascinating. Patric Gagne was diagnosed with sociopathy whilst at university, and she writes candidly of her journey through life while learning to manage her condition. Such an interesting and well written book.

This is a tricky one. On the one hand, I feel like this made me understand "sociopathy" in a new way. The part about her childhood felt particularly insightful and I felt for her. I didn't feel for her much as an adult, but I guess that proves her point that it's difficult to empathize with someone with her disorder when you don't understand the inner experience. On the other hand, some of the stories she shares feel off, as in extremely hard to believe. And it seems her credentials are questionable, so that makes me doubt what I learned, which SUCKS.

One of the things that stood out to me is that she tells us everything she's gotten away with and makes it sound like it's just because she was smart. manipulative, and able to adapt. Babe, I think you got away with shit because you have about every kind of privilege a person could possibly need to breeze through life no matter how appalling their behavior, whatever the reasons for that behavior may be. She recognizes she's luckier than most because she has people who love her as she is, but she doesn't recognize her privilege, and that's odd to me.

Also, this didn't need to be over 350 pages long. It drags a bit and gets repetitive with no payoff for that repetitiveness, so this could've easily been 100 pages shorter. Overall, I enjoyed it as a memoir. It was interesting for the most part, I just don't think I can trust the information that I thought was valuable now that I know her credentials are murky.

While parts of this book were absolutely fascinating, ultimately I found it a little longwinded and repetitive. I also never really came to understand Patric, nor what made her tick. The book is interesting, however, as it’s written by a well-adjusted sociopath who dissects sociopathy from both a personal and professional point of view. The accounts of her childhood were often shocking, and I’m delighted she found ways of coping with her disorder as she grew into adulthood. It was also wonderful to find out that she, and presumably other sociopaths, are capable of finding love and having happy partnerships.

“Everything I’d read indicated that I was a sociopath. I was lacking in empathy, I was fluent in
deceit, I was capable of violence without remorse. Manipulation came easy”.
“And yet, I knew I wasn’t the monster the media described”
Patric Gagne was not diagnosed as a sociopath until her twenties, she always knew
something about her was different; it wasn’t until she started a psychology degree that she
got a sense of what it could be: sociopathy, aka the disorder we associate with liars,
murderers and evil people. But Patric isn’t evil, though she isn’t afraid to admit to being a liar,
a manipulator, and a person who will often do things that are... well, sociopathic. But what
the book digs into is that, while she’s not “working with a full emotional deck”, she’s well
aware of her shortcomings. This self-awareness, she argues, is what prevents her from
going off the deep end, and the result is something closer to an emotional learning disability
to a full-blown disorder.
It really kicks off when she goes to college and starts learning about herself, but then the
book about-turns and for me fell apart a little. Patric’s difficulties in learning about herself
don’t take up as much time as I thought they would, instead, we hear a lot about her job and
relationship difficulties. I understand that these are essential parts of anyone’s life but I do
think I would have preferred to hear more about her discovery & understanding of her
diagnosis, instead. I’ve done some reading around and her PhD credentials are somewhat
fuzzy, which is a whole other story, so maybe that’s why the more technical elements are left
out.
The strongest moments in this memoir are the introspective explorations of Gagne’s
behaviour especially when she’s young - she talks about the pressure feeling she gets and
how her acting out relieves it, by acting in frightening and often illegal ways. But she’s a
slippery central character in this memoir. In the third section of the book, where she’s an
adult, many things just seem too convenient in how they unfold. Gagne’s enormous privilege
– her father is a music executive and her got her a job in this industry – is something that’s
never really considered in any great detail, either. Given the amount of illegality in the book,
too, it feels like an oversight.
Sources online have called this one untrustworthy; unhelpful towards people with personality
disorders, and skeptics have questioned Gagne’s academic record. I did find myself down
that rabbit hole, yes, but only because I was interested in the gossip around the book than
the book itself. Michael Lynch, writing in the Independent, sums it up nicely, describing it as
an “intriguing, provocative but ultimately frustrating memoir. “

A fascinating insight into Gagnes' experiences as a diagnosed sociopath, I agree with prior reviewers comments on her social position as a "well off white woman". However this is her story and it is well written and well narrated detailing her life and that of her family. Her descriptions of the symptoms of sociopathy were interesting and very surprising when one compares them to our own thought processes. Her explanation on lack of empathy struck me as fascinating. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of Sociopath: A Memoir

This is a very interesting memoir about Patric Gagne's life as a sociopath. For me, I have never really thought too much about what a sociopath is - or what traits a sociopath has. However, having read Gagne's book, I am now much more knowledgeable about what it entails.

Throughout, the writer explores her life - how she responded to things quite differently to others, how often emotional responses to situations were deadened, or at least significantly different to the convention. When Gagne starts having therapy and exploring her reactions, things improve - it is a great example of how knowledge can equate to power.

Writing a memoir like this was probably difficult but also, I would imagine, quite cathartic. Gagne is candid and explores things she did (such as driving people's cars, unknowingly to owners, in the middle of the night and breaking into derelict houses) as a way of managing her sociopathic tendencies. Some readers may think she is defending, perhaps excusing, outlandish and anti-social behaviour, but for the writer it is more a case of managing what she feels compelled to do.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

📚 review 📚
sociopath: a memoir - patric gagne

a memoir?
from a sociopath?
insert the "shut up and take my money" meme here.
i always struggle to rate non fiction books - especially memoirs, who am I to rate someone's life? this one though, this is a bit different. i am one of those basic white girls who loves a good true crime podcast, so I was naturally all over a book about sociopaths by a sociopath.

sociopathy is a hugely misunderstood mental health condition - there are likely millions of people living peaceful and pro social lives who also happen to be sociopaths and this unflinching tale of gagne's life and experiences was fascinating. however, early in the book, gagne says: "I am a liar, I am highly manipulative" so... pinch of salt?
it's a tricky one, personally I enjoyed reading this, it was a fascinating insight, but I understand much of the suspicious debate around the book and the author and it does have to be said that gagne is a middle class white woman who grow up in a privileged household, which obviously isn't everyone's experience.

if you're interested in psychology at all, this is a fascinating read and its out now!
thank you @netgalley for the early copy.

What a fascinating insight into the authors brain! This book makes you feel all the emotions which is ironic really. Patric has done a brilliant job of describing parts of her life to the reader and has created an educational, informative and at times, emotional memoir.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I was very pleased to read such a frank memoir. The word sociopath has been used salaciously in the media to an extent that it’s probably a cult craze on TikTok.

Gagne manages to make this book human, the one thing we are told it is impossible for sociopaths to be. I enjoyed this and would recommend it to any one that has heard the word but never understood the reality.

'According to several studies, sociopaths comprise nearly five percent of the population, about the same percentage of those who have a panic disorder.'

Patric Gagne is a child when she first hears the word sociopath and instinctively knows that it applies to her and her complusions. Yet, finding accurate information about sociopathy is difficult. She cannot even find a definition in the dictionary. She checked multiple editions.

Gagne is upfront about who she is. Some of the ways she describes herself include 'a passionate mother and wife', 'an engaging therapist', 'a writer', 'a liar', 'a thief', 'highly manipulative', 'friendly', 'a criminal without a record', and 'a master of disguise'. Given this, the reader may question how reliable a narrator of her life Gagne is. For me, Gagne engages in self and critical reflection about her actions without excusing them.

Still lacking information and resources by the time she attends college, Gagne focuses her academic and clinical work on helping other sociopaths especially now that she has received a formal diagnosis. She seeks the diagnosis while being critical of psychiatric pathologisation. Not least because there are no specific diagnostic criteria for sociopathy. Sociopathy and psychopathy are assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), which is used in a forensic mental health setting and focuses on criminality and violence. There is an adapted version called the PCL-SV (Screening Version) which removes the need for a criminal record that is used in clinical and research settings.

It's a minefield which doesn't do much to counter the misunderstandings, misinformation, and disinformation about sociopathy and psychopathy. Honestly, based on news media and pop culture portrayals of sociopaths and psychopaths most of us have little accurate understanding of either. This is where I think Gagne's memoir will have the most impact. It adds to the growing discussions around mental illness and psychiatric pathologisation. While Gagne doesn't mention neurodivergence by name, her exploration of the failings of the pathology model remind me of the ongoing discussions around what fits under the neurodivergent umbrella.

I underlined so many passages, but I will end my review with the one that has stuck with me most. 'Think you know a sociopath? I'll bet you're right. But I'll also bet it's the last person you suspect.'

Huh! What a wild ride! Not sure I’ve ever read anything like this before. I really appreciate Patric’s honesty - the parts about her early childhood and how she worked out that she wasn’t like other people were fascinating. To be that insightful about yourself is something special, and I’m glad the people around Patric persuaded her to write this book.

This was accepted and on the same day, archived. I did not notice in time to download.
Will try and buy once it comes out and update my review then.

This memoir is a striking look into mental health, but not the one that the media like, rather into the type of diseases that upset people. Patric Gagne portrays herself in a very truthful way, acknowledging that it might be hard for the reader to sympathise with her, since she has such a blunt way of writing. In the first part of the book, some recollections she has from childhood are just blatant dangerous behaviour and reads like a character that would be written to be the bad guy in a fictional story. But her journey towards understanding herself while misunderstanding the entire world is fascinating, told with humour and bravery. The way life feels without feelings seem sometimes easier, sometimes atrocious, and in reality, the writer just feels in her own way.

The strongest aspect of the memoir to me, is how beautifully delves into love and how it is essential even though the narrator does not always feel it in a conventional way. I really enjoyed how she portrayed her boyfriend as something that makes her feel whole, when she struggles to feel real things often times. The way she also portrays her home as an adult and how different she feels in it compared to the one from her childhood was really interesting, the way she finds peace in some sort of a mess. Some parts explained with much sincerity how mental health does not define someone and should not deprive anyone from love, but how it is not something that is inconsequential either. I strongly recommend reading this memoir, it will shed light on some hidden aspects of what a human spirit can be.

I received this ebook from NetGalley and Pan Macmillan | Bluebird in exchange for an honest review.

A very interesting read about the inner workings of a diagnosed sociopath and her journey to help other sociopaths through therapy. The positives of the book were: Patric's determination to help others and her goal to learn some sort of emotion to cope with everyday life. However, her continued justification for some of her illegal activities was very weird for me. I think that I would have enjoyed the book more if it was more about her therapy and research to treat other sociopaths. As, after a while the writing was repetitive and the lack of remorse was quite off putting. Overall, I would recommend to others so that they can learn the inner workings of a sociopath and how to help them.

Great book! Such an interesting read from Patric Gagne. I learnt so much about the inside workings of a sociopath, and actually what being a sociopath meant, because I'll have to be honest, I knew of the term but like many, assumed it was just like being a psychopath.

I've always been interested in the many miraculous ways our brain can work, or can be programmed and so this book was right up my alley. If you are the same, and find that topic interesting then I guarantee you will enjoy this book.

Several days have elapsed since I concluded my reading of Sociopath, yet articulating my sentiments remains elusive.

Throughout the narrative, an undercurrent of unease pervaded my experience. I found myself recoiling mentally at times, engrossed in others, occasionally saddened, and intermittently disengaged by the pacing and repetition. Nevertheless, a persistent discomfort lingered throughout.

I yearned for a clearer timeline within the narrative to ground myself in the story's temporal context. Understanding the evolving landscape of diagnoses and treatments over the years would have enriched my comprehension. Unfortunately, the author chose to obscure such details, leaving me to speculate on the chronology and identities involved.

Ultimately, Sociopath provided valuable insights, but it also left me with unresolved queries. It is undeniably a book that will leave an indelible mark on my thoughts, and in that respect, it holds its own significance.

Sociopath was an eye-opener for me. This memoir isn't your typical journey through someone's life. Dr. Patric Gagne takes us deep into the world of a sociopath - herself. It's a fascinating, raw, and sometimes chilling exploration of what it means to live with sociopathy.⁠
⁠
Gagne describes her life with stark honesty, detailing her experiences of feeling certain emotions like happiness and anger, but missing out on others like shame, guilt, and remorse. The concept of "stuck stress" and her methods of coping with this emotional void through acts like breaking into homes and stealing cars are both terrifying and intriguing. It makes you ponder the fine line between feeling too little and feeling too much.⁠
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What struck me most was the portrayal of sociopathy not just as a disorder but as a misunderstood personality type. Gagne's relationship with her now-husband David adds a personal touch, showing how acceptance can ease the restlessness that comes from her condition. Yet, the book doesn't shy away from the complexities of sociopathy, such as the anxiety and stress from hiding one's true self and the notion that there's no treatment for it.⁠
⁠
Gagne's indifference to others' opinions and her candidness are admirable. It made me wonder if, as she suggests, there's a spectrum of sociopathy that we're all on to some extent. ⁠
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Sociopath is a thought-provoking memoir that offers a unique perspective from someone who navigates both the personal and professional aspects of being a well-adjusted sociopath. If you're curious about the inner workings of a mind that operates differently from the norm, this book is a compelling read.⁠
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Thanks to @NetGalley and @PanMacmillan for this e-ARC!

It’s a memoir of Patric, a diagnosed sociopath,(mostly self-diagnosed). I found this book fascinating. Good insight into mental illness but it felt like something was missing, it was something I enjoyed reading and can recommend if anyone is interested in Sociopathy.

As the title may suggest this is a memoir written by Patric who is a diagnosed sociopath. The book starts when Patric is very young, describing memories that she has of events where she acted or felt very different to what we would consider "normal". Once it became clear to Patric that she was different she started to research for herself but found that it was basically impossible to find a categoric definition of sociopathy. This led her to study the subject in more depth in order to gain more understanding of herself and help others like her.

I have to say I found this quite a difficult read. Even though I know that it is a condition of the brain, I still found myself judging her behaviour, or maybe the pride she seemed to have over these behaviours as ordinarily you would expect remorse. I would hate to think that judgement is passed on me over a condition that I couldn't help, yet I'm doing that about Patric and the things that she did as a child. However, I did like that she was able to recognise that she didn't want to behave in a way that is socially unacceptable and therefore did develop a self regulation plan.

I also found it a bit repetitive, I felt like at one point it was just the same conversation being had with a number of different people over and over again. I also felt like some of it may have been made up for dramatic effect, it didn't all feel completely believable.

However, this was an interesting read, it has absolutely expanded my understanding of the condition which I'm grateful for. I hope that many people read it so there is more awareness around it, and I am going to work on my judgement!!