Labyrinth of desire Book

Reminiscent of anne carson's eros the bittersweet (& by the same token a cousin to a lovers discourse) in that it primarily consists in a compendium of short fragments claiming to be love's idiom (chapter titles include "tantalus love," "erotic diabolism,""self portrait with mirrors" and they rarely exceed 10 pages). sullivan opens with a short love story; each subsequent chapter bases its analysis (or meditation?) on a quote therefrom. i read the book in one sitting, i think bc a lot of it i felt like i already knew...it was kind of a mélange of i knew that about love and i didn't need you to tell me, i knew that about love but i am grateful for your giving it expression, and i don't think that's how it works, rosemary. that last one sort of gathered steam by the end of the book; i found her conclusions on the sweeping and saccharine side of things. but i did like it. it's thought-provoking and sullivan has this likeable warm confidence. it does read a bit like a lesson from the mature author to me the immature reader (or poss. sullivan to her earlier self), but i felt like she was making an earnest attempt to share with me the fruits of her experience, so i wasn't mad about it.