The title conveys Sure’s feeling of betrayal, not just at the hands of Kulai, but the entire mental health industry. The book starts as a tale of percolating and forbidden romance, with vivid dramatizations of Sure and Kulai’s initial interactions setting the stage for a relationship. Grounding the story is the sure handed evocation of a therapist’s inner and working worlds, capturing the protagonist’s drift of mind, professional obligations, evolving understanding of his field’s practices and expectations. Much of Poetic Injustice’s back half becomes considerations, in essay form, of Sure’s treatment by his field itself; elsewhere, he includes poems written by the lovers, and appendices printing real documents, letters, and photos.

The result is a novel that suggests memoir and something like narrative therapy itself, a working through of an upsetting episode rather than a story meant to compel readers on its own. Scenes set in the therapist’s office, with professional and patient toying with crossing clear lines, are engaging like traditional fiction, especially in their nuanced attention to the job and its ethics. The poetry and the account of the fallout, meanwhile, offer readers less in terms of suspense or narrative momentum. Regardless, readers fascinated by the romance of transgressing professional boundaries may find this affecting in its rawness.

Takeaway: The inspired-by-truth story of a therapist’s condemnation after crossing lines with a patient.

Great for fans of: Susie Orbach’s The Impossibility of Sex, Sue Johnson’s Hold Me Tight

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: B