Quarterlife

The Search for Self in Early Adulthood

By: Satya Doyle Byock

Narrated by: Satya Doyle Byock

Brought to you by Penguin.

Why do I feel lost? What's wrong with me? Is this all there is?

Satya Doyle Byock hears these questions regularly in her psychotherapy practice, where she works with Quarterlifers - people between the ages of twenty to forty - who are searching for meaning and direction in their lives. She understands their frustration. Some clients have done everything 'right': graduate, get a job, meet a partner - yet they are unfulfilled. Others are still struggling to find their way in the world, and are unclear on what to do next.

Quarterlife offers a compassionate roadmap for finding understanding, happiness, and wholeness in early adulthood. While society is quick to label the struggles of young people as generational traits, Byock sees things differently. She believes these emotions are part of the developmental journey of Quarterlife, a distinct stage that every person goes through, and which has been virtually ignored by psychology and popular culture.

Through the stories of four of her clients, Byock shows us how this search can start with the right questions. Blending personal storytelling with mythology, Jungian psychology with pop culture and literature, Quarterlife pioneers a new way of thinking about adult life, to help us navigate our futures and ourselves.

©2024 Satya Doyle Byock (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

'I'm obsessed with this book. If you're a younger Millennial, or a Gen Z-er, and trying to figure out why do I feel this way, why can't I be satisfied, why do I always feel like I'm behind or rudderless - this is the book for you.' (Anne Helen Petersen, author of Can’t Even)

'I wish I had this guide when I was in my 20s and 30s but even now, it offers me a nuanced perspective on how I am built, how I operate in the world. Byock gives us a way to ground ourselves in a time that is perplexing and often dismaying. Her sentences are charged with a powerful call to action that must begin within each of us.' (Avni Doshi, author of Burnt Sugar)

'I loved this book more than I can say! Quarterlife is an insightful, revealing look at the messy and uncharted paths to wholeness, and a powerful tool for anyone navigating early adulthood. This is the book I wish I'd had and one that I will gift again and again. Byock has written both a groundbreaking guide and an intimate invitation to understanding that is destined to be an instant classic.' (Tembi Locke, author of From Scratch)