Thomas Erikson apparently wrote this reluctantly, pressured by fans riding the wave of Surrounded by Psychopaths — and it shows. The book meanders through an impressive range of tangents, including, memorably, a passage arguing that modern cars have resting bitch face compared to older models. Make of that what you will.
The recurring example of a spoiled college student — whose entire future Erikson confidently predicts — gives you a good sense of the tone: equal parts pop psychology and grumpy generational grievance. He has a lot to say about parents these days.
And yet I listened to the whole thing, which counts for something. It's consistently amusing, even if the amusement is mostly the "is this man serious?" variety. The problem is I still don't know whether Erikson is a very dry satirist sending up the self-help genre, or whether he genuinely means all of this. If it's the former, it's clever. If it's the latter, it's just unscientific and mean. Two stars either way, but for very different reasons depending on the answer.
REVIEW: Surrounded by Narcissists: How to Effectively Recognize, Avoid, and Defend Yourself Against Toxic People (and Not Lose Your Mind) by Thomas Erikson
RATING: 2-stars
