In this absorbing and provocative new book from one of Britain's most elegant and original prose stylists, psychoanalyst Adam Phillips addresses a variety of urgent concerns - many centred around the idea of balance.

When might we know that enough is enough? Does the road of excess ever lead to the palace of wisdom? What is the role of the parent, the teacher and of psychoanalysis itself in the development of children's minds? Should we be happy, or is there something better we can be? And what can we learn from the tales of Jack and the Beanstalk or Cinderella?

With his trademark combination of open-minded enquiry and exhilarating argument, drawing primarily on the twin worlds of literature and psychoanalysis, Adam Phillips will delight readers old and new in this much anticipated new book.

'In the real world, however, Phillips shows that pleasure and desire are not simple; they can be feared, and they can be used to mask pain and hide things we should really see. But identifying our desires, however excessive, is crucial to answering the question, 'What kind of life do we want to live?' Terri Apter, GuardianReview

'Singularly Captivating.' New Statesman