Erotic Anger: A User's Manual is firmly grounded in the sexuality of real men and women. These are not tales told in the locker room, recounting a stirring bit of foreplay that led to a particularly satisfying sexual encounter. Nor are the case studies presented by Pommier stories of simple problems or perfect cures. Rather, they are a return to the classic problems faced by Freud himself in his clinical practice -- impotence, premature ejaculation, and compulsive masturbation -- in which we see the rawness of fantasies and dreams uncensored.

In a voice that is ironic but elegant,...