When every question becomes an answer

Side Effects, by Adam Phillips Hamish Hamilton, €33.

For Freud, or so says Adam Phillips, a good memory is one that forgets properly- which is a comforting thought (to remember) when you close this book. Phillips enjoys taking his readers on the scenic route, and it is quite a trip, but when it finally ends, it’s difficult to know where you’ve been. And that’s partly the point.

The essays and lectures in this ...