Love Is a Tragedy: Meeting, Living, Leaving—Inside the Drama of Human Relationships

“This book is about everything we pour into love—everything that can make it the freest and most beautiful comedy, or the darkest and most confining tragedy imaginable. This book is about us, and the search for a kind of love that is less rigid and limiting—more independent and self-aware.”

The lights dim, silence falls across the room, and the curtain rises. On stage, the comedy of all comedies begins: two individuals, two distinct personalities, two different stories that, for some reason, cross paths. This is the origin of every relationship, whether romantic or platonic—a (chance?) intertwining of destinies.

And then what happens? We fall in love, we care for one another, we fight, we make love. Our entire lives, for better or worse, are told through the relationships we experience—each one revealing who we are, how we exist, and how we view the world.

What fears lie beneath the unfolding of our romantic comedies—or tragedies? And when the final curtain begins to fall, what then? How do we face the ending that, like it or not, looms over every relationship?

Starting from the idea that every human connection mirrors a three-act play, psychologist Federico Dibennardo explores each stage in this book—the beginning, the unfolding, the end—delving into why we choose certain people over others, and the intricate web of personal emotions and social influences that shape how we relate to one another.

Each scene becomes a key piece in a deeper understanding of ourselves and the dynamics behind our romantic lives—helping us confront questions we often avoid, let go of guilt or shame over failed relationships, and finally make sense of the chaotic, beautiful play that is human connection.