The Seducer, by Claudia Moscovici, is a novel about a psychopath. But it’s not a Hollywood-style psychopath who stalks unsuspecting strangers to commit ritual murder. This story is much closer to reality—the reality that many of us were horrified to discover.
The author, Moscovici, knows of what she writes, because she lived through her own nightmare with a psychopath. Because of her experience, she created the Psychopathy Awareness blog, to help people learn about these human predators.
Her thorough understanding of this disordered personality is apparent in the book. The Seducer tells a compelling story of how the psychopaths who live among us pursue their agendas, and how their unknowing targets react.
Michael is young, handsome, clever and has only one real objective in life—sex. Women exist only for his personal gratification, and he is always in pursuit of gratification. Yes, he has a fiancé, Karen, whom he keeps around as a backup plan while in search of other adventures. Then he meets Ana, who is married, although the spark left her marriage long ago. Suddenly Michael has a new goal—making Ana his. He turns on the charm, and Ana responds.
Because this is a novel, Moscovici has the luxury of taking us wherever she wants, and she takes us into the heads of the predator and his targets. The cold, calculated way in which Michael decides his next move is disconcerting, but probably accurate for a certain segment of psychopaths. The reactions of Karen and Ana will certainly ring true for readers who found themselves caught in psychopathic webs.
The story itself is compelling—I always wanted to know what would happen next. Moscovici gradually builds the tension until the surprise twist at the end, which left me feeling like I’d been punched in the stomach. But I also knew the ending could have happened in real life.
From a storytelling perspective, The Seducer is a good read. For those of us who have endured disordered romantic partners, it is validating. And if someone doesn’t really know what a psychopath is, this book can serve as a good education
The Seducer, by Claudia Moscovici, is available on Amazon.com.
Back_from_the_edge
It Takes 2: his name wasn’t Michael but he was certainly the devils spawn, My Dear…
I am starting to think I just may be spath free now…
shhhhhh: I can’t say that too loud, “IT” might hear me…
Near
Back from the edge: Yeah, the saying is that something gives you the willies, not to be confused with wet willies(wet finger in ear), or any other willies. ^_^
Oh, and I’m the comic relief of Lovefraud. *waves* 🙂
Back_from_the_edge
(((Near))) You are sending me to bed with a smile and I am grateful and beholding to you.
Yikes: I think I just better stay away from them all together, whatever they are. hehehehe Too confusing for me.
😛 Waving back!!!!
Near
Back from the edge: Yeah, I’m off for sleepy times as well. It has been fun for me as well, so now I have a smile. ^_^
*huggles*
cathyannjones
I am so grateful for this site and the recommended books. I just ordered ‘Puzzling People: The Labyrinth of the Psychopath” because it says it really helps with healing. My ex (who committed suicide in March) put me through the wringer in the 33 years I was married to him. He used to call me and say he was driving someplace to commit suicide when he was actually headed to a hotel to do drugs and party and who know what else. It left me a wreck all night until he came home the next day and I was so grateful that he was alive I didn’t ask many questions. This was just one of the many cruel things he did to me. I’m surprised that I am sane at all. His suicide has left your youngest daughter a wreck and do you think he would even care if he were still here? She is having panic attacks and I have her scheduled to see my doctor. I think he only really committed suicide because he was hooked on crack and had been drinking. My doctor explained that crack makes people really depressed and they often commit suicide. And yet I keep thinking “maybe he wasn’t a sociopath, maybe he was just an addict” but I have known other people who were addicts who don’t play the cruel games he played. My youngest daughter has a lot of guilt because she wasn’t in touch with him much and didn’t want him around the grandchildren because of the drug use, yet he never tried to contact our daughters unless he couldn’t reach me, and he only wanted to reach me (we were divorced) to try to scam me out of money. Well, thanks for letting me vent and any help on the guilt and getting my daughters through this is greatly appreciated.
Louise
cathyann:
I’m so sorry…what a horrible thing to go through…what a horrible 33 years to go through! I will pray for peace for your daughters.
You brought up a very good point that I have thought about many times after reading so many stories on LF. A great majority of the stories on here seem to involve drugs…the spath is on drugs or an addict. Did anyone else ever think that their erratic behavior was due to the drugs and not necessarily a personality disorder?? I wonder…curious.
Truthspeak
Cathyannjones, I am so sorry for your experiences and the horrific damage that your daughters must be suffering. Of course, she’s experiencing panic attacks – PSTD for survivors of suicides is textbook-expected. A good, strong counseling therapist that “gets it” about PSTD and domestic abuse would help her (and, one of your own) tremendously.
I literally hate the carnage that suicide leaves behind. I know entirely too many people who spend the rest of their lives wondering what they could have done to prevent such a dire and disastrous action. I’ve wondered that, myself, on many occasions.
Brightest healing blessings, Cathyann….to you and your daughters.
cathyannjones
I don’t know about the relationship between psychopaths and drugs except that I think psychopaths are always looking for something more and more exciting. I believe a lot of psychopaths are probably addicts because the rules don’t apply to them and anything that makes them feel good is all that matters. There are actually addicts (I go to al-anon meetings) who are just lost and struggling and want to get better. I have dated men since my divorce, a couple of who had drinking problems and yet they did not play head games and lie the way the psychopath did. They didn’t they to make you doubt your sanity and think it was all fun and games and that winning was the ultimate goal. One recent guy was sort of selfish and wanted everything his way and tried to insist on unprotected sex even though he had never been tested. When I told him it wasn’t going to work, he didn’t say anything mean or cruel and just accepted my decision. We even decided that we could remain friends. That’s the difference. This is just my opinion on the matter.
one/joy_step_at_a_time
it takes 2 – i know of many spaths named michael.
Louise
cathyann:
I know what you are saying. I have seen both…men who drink or do drugs yet don’t hurt people and sober men who hurt people all the time. I just wonder if there is a subset who are addicts and not spaths…their behavior is due to the ups and downs of the drugs highs and lows and not because they are spaths. Does anyone else have opinions on this?