Super agoraphobia therapy
Super agoraphobia therapy (original title: Townhouse ) is a novel by Tish Cohen, which was published in 2009 by the Luchterhand collection. The English edition was published in Canada in 2007.
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Jack Madigan is a divorced father. He lives with his son Harlan in an old mansion in downtown Boston. He is a color consultant by trade, but pays his bills using his declining inheritance stemming from his father Baz Madigan's earlier success. This was a rock legend, whose early death resulted from a turtle bite. Because of an agoraphobia he can only leave his house under the effect of sedatives and with the company of his son, he lives on the edge of poverty.
It turns out that Jack will have to sell his mansion over a mortgage claim if he cannot meet the outstanding payments. The bank initially sent further reminders, but eventually the real estate agent Dorrie Allsop. While Jack tries to sell the house, Jack does his best to prevent it. He is in conflict with himself because he has secretly fallen in love with Dorrie. Meanwhile, the youngest child of the neighbors, Lucinda or Lucy, discovers a hole in the wall, which is only closed with rags. Through this she gains access to Jack's house and befriends him. Because of her, he is later forced to leave the house without medication and thus fight his claustrophobia. She impresses on him that his panic attacks are just dizziness, not strokes or heart attacks. Over time, Jack starts a relationship with Dorrie that doesn't last long because he hurt her over making a thoughtless statement. Dorrie then finds a buyer for the house.
Shortly before handing over the house, Jack found the shell of the turtle that cost his father his life. Not only is it worth a fortune, there is also a note on it with Jack's name on it. This tells him that his father thought of him in his last breath and cared for him. This gives him a psychological upswing, which among other things leads him to run to the bank and provide the turtle shell as payment for the mortgage claim without having taken anxiety-relieving medication beforehand. This allows him to keep his house, but endangers Dorrie's employment in their office. Therefore, he tries all the more for her and confesses that he loves her. She is more benevolent towards him. It remains to be seen whether the two will get together and whether he can cure his agoraphobia.