In Elisabeth Harvor"s oddly captivating first novel, Excessive Joy Injures the Heart, Claire Vornoff, a 37-year-old Ottawa woman, is having trouble sleeping. After sampling other body work, like reflexology, from a variety of creepy healers, she sends herself through a course of acupuncture and miscellaneous alternative treatments with the quietly charismatic Declan Farrell. One of the difficulties that she has been trying to address in therapy is her openness to men, her selflessness, her goodness, and it comes as no surprise to either Claire or the reader that she falls in love with Dr. Farrell, who aims to challenge all of this. As well as the "dull" breathing exercises he leads her through each week, his treatment includes poking at Claire like an irritating younger brother to see how (and if) she will defend herself. Harvor, a Canadian poet, is an observant novelist who takes great care with her details, which are striking, but never distract from the real business of Claire"s obsession. --Regina Marler