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Palgrave Macmillan will be sitting on the therapists' couch next spring with a graphic novel début by Philippa Perry, the wife of Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry.
Perry has written Couch Fiction: A Graphic tale of Psychotherapy with her Japanese housekeeper, Junko, who provided all of the artwork. A fan of the graphic novel and manga genre, Perry, a trained therapist, wanted to develop her work in a "unique" way rather than just present a traditional textbook with case studies. The book will contain illustrated strips of everyday scenes with author notes explaining the psychological theory behind the drawings.
Charlotte Troy, project editor at publishing house CT Editions developed the book before it was commissioned by Palgrave's Catherine Gray. The title will be published on the 30th April as a £12.99 paperback.
Troy said: "We're really excited about Couch Fiction as it is a graphic novel that also manages to explore the theories that underpin psychotherapy and counselling. The book is easy to read and yet communicates some complex theoretical ideas. It's a page-turning novel that both educates and entertains and we're hoping that it's accessibility means it will appeal to a broad market." She added: "It's a cross between Irvin Yalom's Love's Executioner and Posy Simmonds' Tamara Drewe."
Perry and Junko are already developing ideas for a second book.