Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne, Ph.D.
I couldn’t put this book down. From the very first pages, Sociopath pulled me into Patric Gagne’s quiet and conflicted inner world — a world where emotions are muted, connection feels foreign, and the search for meaning becomes both relentless and tender. She describes growing up aware that something was missing — that she couldn’t feel fear, shame, or empathy in the way others seemed to. I found myself pausing often, wondering what it must feel like to live inside that emotional silence — to crave a feeling not as a burden, but as proof of being alive.
As I read, I kept asking myself: what does it really mean to feel connected? Do we equate deep emotion with goodness? Can empathy look different than what we were taught? Beneath Gagne’s calm, intellectual voice, I sensed a deep longing — the desire to belong without pretending, to find closeness without mimicry. When she describes her relationship with her partner, it becomes less a love story and more an exploration of safety — the kind of steady presence that allows even the most defended parts of us to risk being seen.
There were times when I felt her story pull away — moments that felt carefully edited, maybe even protected. But instead of frustration, I felt compassion. Don’t we all do that, in our own ways? We guard our most fragile truths until we’re sure they’ll be held with care. Sociopath isn’t just a memoir about a diagnosis — it’s a mirror reflecting the universal human struggle to feel, connect, and belong. It reminded me that healing doesn’t always mean feeling “more,” but learning to make space for who we are, as we are.