Christie Tate’s Group is one of those rare memoirs that can be accurately described as honest and raw, and I don’t entirely mean that as a compliment ... But ultimately Group is a bit unsure of what it wants to be. Tate’s language is at times lyrical, as in a description of the aftermath of a childhood tragedy; at other times, her breezy tone has a reductive, sitcom-ish quality and her descriptions veer into stereotype ... Still, Tate’s hard-won willingness to become loving and to be loved ultimately shapes a story that has a lot of heart.
In therapy, Tate learns that secrets are toxic, and applies that lesson to her writing. Essential to Tate’s project is authorial ethos, and she maintains credibility by writing the bad, the ugly, and the badly ugly through years of painful relationships and despair. Her writing displays a wonderful combination of clear and simple with sparkle and intelligence ... a compelling narrative.
Written with humor and brutal honesty, Group is a bracing, confrontational, and absorbing read ... Tate’s vivid, engaging prose opens the door on group therapy, making it feel like one is right there in a molded plastic chair, watching as Dr. Rosen rocks Tate in his arms after one of her breakdowns. It makes for an addictively voyeuristic, often squirm-inducing read.
...for someone who spent so long marinating in therapy, Tate is curiously unreflective, lacking insight into what elements of the process were beneficial, and if so, why ... For nearly 300 pages that constitute the very definition of 'oversharing,' Tate gives us an unfiltered recounting of everything she discussed in the group over five-odd years and what the others had to say about it ... In Group’s acknowledgements, she admits that her children “are going to be mortified” if they ever read the book. Not to worry; 'the good news is that I’ve given them ample material for their own therapy sessions.' She thinks that’s funny.
Already a pick for Reese Witherspoon’s book club, Tate’s memoir of her years as a patient of Dr. Jonathan Rosen contains plenty of secrets, some salacious ... It’s titillating and sometimes shocking to read the specifics of what these upscale and once-uptight men and women discuss, but is it more than that? Does it serve them? ... It’s not that Tate doesn’t show the steps; she does, sometimes in excruciating detail. The smutty mantra she adopts with Rosen – which revolves around the kind of sex she wants to avoid – will make more than a few readers shudder in distaste. Others may nod their heads empathetically ... What’s most fascinating is the dynamic of members of a psychotherapy group determined to strip themselves bare in front of an audience.
... incredibly readable—there’s something both touching and addictive about getting to sit in on group meetings and witness the superficial details and the deeper, more painful vulnerabilities of Tate and her group members. With candor and humor, Tate lifts back the curtain on the complexities of personal growth. At times, though, the book is missing a deeper examination of Dr. Rosen’s unconventional group therapy format—the groups are not confidential, and Dr. Rosen attends his patients’ weddings and invites them over for dinner. While Tate sometimes acknowledges this unconventionality—and acquaintances’ taken-aback responses to it—she doesn’t dig deeper into its ethical implications. One can’t help but wish that more reflection on the therapy format made its way into the book.
Tate delivers a no-holds-barred account of her five-plus years in group therapy in this dazzling debut memoir ... Readers will be irresistibly drawn into Tate’s earnest and witty search for authentic and lasting love.
Tate’s sarcastic style can be entertaining ... but the narrative would have been stronger if the author more deeply explored the complexities of group therapy, body shame, loneliness, and more. Much of the writing is memorable ... Many readers will sympathize with Tate ... moving.
