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Odd as it may sound, Catherine Hiller's new novel, CYBILL UNBOUND, reminds one of Sigmund Freud's CIVILIZATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS, in which he explores the eternal conflict that civilization thrusts on each and every one: the Pleasure Principle (our reckless, heedless childhood ID that's always with us) vs. the Reality Principle (the policeperson inside demanding strict adherence to the rules). Cybill embodies this conflict in almost everything she says--and, most tantalizingly, does.

But what's most interesting about such conflict is that she thrives on it. Without pleasure, what's the point of living? But with reality ever present, you always have to give pause. Each chapter, in its way, presents this inner, eternal state of war as vividly as one could imagine. It is not just a good read--which it is in spades--but an instructive one. As much psychological and sociological as novelistic, CYBILL UNBOUND deserves to be read by everyone, male and female alike. In a way, the novel also hearkens back to Betty Friedan's seminal work, THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE, exploring as it does the roots of female unhappiness. Dr. Freud was famous for posing the question, "What do women want?" Catherine Hiller's novel supplies the answer! Too bad the guy is not around for Cybill to help him figure it out. A must read in every way!

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