The novel tells the story of Jewgeni, a young writer wandering through life, and his landlady Valeria, with bitter humor and empathy. However, Florin Lazarescu does not only examine the life crisis of his protagonists, which manifests in Jewgeni primarily as an eternal writer's block and in Valeria as a constant panic over the lurking Alzheimer's disease, but also the soul paralysis of the entire city. For the city, with all its small, dramatic stories, is the third main character of the novel, described with bitter irony and sarcastic realism. "Soul Paralysis" is a novel about necessary yet unrealistic hopes and small everyday joys that distract from the absurdity of life.