What Went Wrong with Mr. Right? by Ann Gadd
Find Out Why Relationships Fail and How to Heal Them
What Went Wrong With Mr. Right? follows Ann Gadd’s popular book The Girl Who Bites Her Nails and The Man Who Is Always Late. Both books look at human failings in a generous and useful way, with the latest offering turning a spotlight onto relationship problems.
Why Relationships FailAlthough not entirely a self-help workbook, Ann Gadd includes thought-provoking exercises and questionnaires such as “How fiery/watery are you?” Once the reader has established this, chances are their partner will be the opposite. This is largely the basis of the book. Opposites attract, and for many people the very things that were attractive in the beginning become the things that cause the relationship to fail some years on.
The same principles apply with gay relationships, according to Ann Gadd. It has nothing to do with gender, but the fact that in any relationship one person will inevitably lead and the other will be led: “…the predominance of fire usually falls to one person, whilst the passivity of water remains with the other.” The trick is to find a balance in relationships.
Whilst some of this may seem fairly obvious, many gems do shine through, especially in her discussion of “Fire and Water in the Bedroom”, and reasons why couples stop having sex.
Recognize Personal Archetypes
The book uses interesting case studies to illustrate the writer’s points as well as archetypes. Similar to some of the writing in 6 Archetypes of Love, this book explains how to recognize personal archetypes and then their opposites in partners. In What Went Wrong with Mr. Right?, the writer explains that everyone carries a number of both welcome and unwelcome archetypes such as The Parent, The Drama Queen and The Control Freak.
Reading What Went Wrong with Mr. Right? can be both amusing and painful especially when it comes to discovering why these archetypes are played out and what the benefits could be.
The end of the first section of the book covers types of relationships including that most difficult of all: the co-dependent relationship. There is an excellent exercise to help determine whether or not a relationship is co-dependent. This is followed by a short case history showing an extreme example of a co-dependent relationship.
The second half of the book gives an opportunity to recognize relationship archetypes including the Perfectionist and The Slob, and The Miser and The Big Spender. Ann Gadd writes in an accessible and comfortable style, leaving the reader with the impression that with work, relationship problems can be solved and people can live a more positive life. Her explanations of why people do what they do makes for fascinating reading.
Find Balance in Relationships
The optimism in What Went Wrong with Mr. Right? and the encouragement to find balance in relationships make this a book worth reading for anyone who feels jaded with his or her partner. The message is don’t give up just yet, it may be possible to work through relationship problems and bring each partner into more comfortable balance.
What Went Wrong with Mr. Right? [Findhorn Press, 2009]
ISBN 978-1-84409-154-6
What Went Wring With Mr Right
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Partners & Parents
Latest Articles