Middle-Aged Woman

Name: Middle-Aged Woman
ISBN: 9781761888403

Liu YingOct 2026

3.0

Word count: 58K words
Chapters: 27
ISBN: 9781761888403

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Summary

As a psychoanalysis candidate, Lin Chuan is good at listening to others' pain, yet when her marriage collapses she loses the "function of thinking" for the first time. Her husband's betrayal is like a stone dropped into the deep sea: the ripples on the surface gradually fade, but the undercurrents below do not disperse. She tries to use everything she has learned to understand: his lies, her negligence, the ending they wrote together. But after understanding, the pain does not disappear. Every night thereafter is a long trek. She meets different people—the clear-sighted Sister Zhang, the sharp Shen Lan, the unrestrained Youyou, rational friends, compassionate enemies. Each is a mirror reflecting a different side of her: angry, cowardly, aloof, longing. And four psychoanalysis sessions a week become her tool for salvaging herself from the ruins.

This is a novel about "losing" and "becoming." When a person is forced to let go of all attachments—faith in marriage, dependence on idols, the fantasy of a perfect self—she must face the most original question: Who am I? The answer lies in no one's advice, only in the posture in which she stands again after passing through pain.

Editor's review

This is a novel that approaches a woman's inner world through a psychoanalytic lens. The protagonist, Lin Chuan, a psychoanalysis candidate accustomed to listening to others, loses her ability to think when her marriage collapses; this mismatch between professional identity and personal circumstances is the most tension-filled part of the book. The novel does not stop at accusing betrayal or playing up suffering; it takes "pain remains after understanding" as its core proposition and lets readers follow the protagonist through a long and genuine psychological trek. Characters such as Sister Zhang, Shen Lan, and Youyou each have sharp edges and serve as mirrors reflecting different sides of the protagonist; the network of relationships itself is a device for self-knowledge. Four psychoanalysis sessions a week are both a plot thread and a narrative method, giving the inner monologue a sense of structure. The writing is restrained and introspective, suited to slow reading in a quiet setting. For readers concerned with women's psychology, marriage, and self-rebuilding, this book offers not just a story but a way of thinking about how to stand again in the face of loss.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Adult readers concerned with women's psychology and marriage
Readers at a turning point in life who need psychological resonance
Literary readers interested in novels with a psychoanalytic perspective
Readers who like introspective narration and are willing to read slowly and carefully

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a strong plot and a fast-paced story
People hoping to find clear solutions or psychological guidance in the book
Readers impatient with large amounts of inner monologue and speculative narration

Reading tips

Read in installments during quiet hours and leave space to digest the introspective text.
Keep brief reading notes as the protagonist's analysis progresses, recording points that resonate with you.
When a character appears as a mirror, pause and think about which side of the self it reflects.
After finishing, look back at the opening section on the marriage's collapse and reflect on the change in perception.

版权信息
书稿内容简介
作者简介
作者自荐
一、机场
二、谎言
三、旅程
四、真相
五、活着
六、力量
七、梦境
八、成熟
九、懊恼
十、依靠
十一、丢魂
十二、堕落
十三、出轨者的告白
十四、锋刃
十五、毕业典礼
十六、逻辑与理性
十七、计谋失败
十八、新发现
十九、偶像倒塌
二十、哀悼
二十一、法雨
二十二、跋涉
二十三、后记

FAQ

Is this a psychological self-help book or a novel?

It is a novel. Although the protagonist is a psychoanalysis candidate and the book includes analysis scenes, it is overall a fictional narrative that presents psychological change through the characters' stories and does not offer self-help exercises or professional guidance.

Can I understand it without a psychology background?

Yes. The psychoanalytic elements serve the characters and plot and do not set a professional threshold. Readers can enter by following the protagonist's feelings and thoughts without prior knowledge of terminology.

What does the title "Middle-Aged Woman" refer to?

According to available information, the story focuses on an adult woman who experiences the collapse of her marriage, and the title points to the situation of women at this stage of life. Its specific meaning requires reading the whole book; through her experiences the book presents self-questioning and rebuilding.

Is it very depressing to read?

The book does contain heavy depictions of pain and loss, but its overall direction is to stand again after passing through pain, not to wallow in it. Readers can read at their own pace and take breaks when it feels heavy.

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About the author

Liu Ying Author · China

Liu Ying is an author of books on psychology and family education who advocates an approach to parenting that engages children's inner feelings. She has worked at a well-known psychology research institute in Beijing and for media outlets such as China Early Education Network and Modern Education, and has nearly ten years of experience in psychological research. Her writing centers on family education and child psychology; she is the author of more than ten bestselling parenting books, including A Perfect Early Education Plan for Babies from 0 to 3, Positive Discipline: The Psychology of Children's Behavior, and What's Wrong with My Youth, which emphasize practical methods drawn from everyday parent-child interaction. The library holds 23 of her works, which, beyond parenting titles, also span essays, world classics, foreign literature, and social culture; representative titles include Summer in the Sierra, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, Chinese Art (Oxford History of Art series), Cuore (The Heart of a Boy), Emergent Evolution, The Blue Bird, and An Introduction to German Literature. Public information about the details of her life is limited.