Psychologist Dr Susan Forward isolates a group of men (to whom she gives the almost clinical title ‘misogynist’) whose behaviour causes a specific type of woman: what Forward calls a ‘madness for two’. This is in effect a ‘How To’ book, a guide to women who want to break out of disabling patterns of behaviour, but Forward makes it clear that even though your relationship might be rotten, her advice may not be for you:

Some men are withholding, some are noncommunicative, some are not affectionate, and some are not ready for a relationship and may reject you. Some men are extremely moody, some men lose their tempers easily; some like to argue, and some may disagree loudly with everything you say; but none of these behaviours, in and of itself, defines a man as a misogynist. Remember, a misogynist is a man who needs to control women.

‘Control’ then is very narrowly defined. Its symptoms are aggressive – mental and physical abuse characterised by shouting, screaming, extreme jealousy and possessiveness, and insistence on financial and organisational authority. Forward is fond of lists and the first half of the book consists of lists such as ‘How To Recognise