I knew it was really a love story because I had seen the movie first, but I didn't realize how much of a love story it would become. Sure, cat and mouse games were predominant, and they were satisfyingly concluded, but the true joy for me came with not only identifying with, but actively loving the title character. Clarise, on the other hand, has become a much more interesting character. 
 I'm not certain how much I believe her own transformation. Sure, a person can be programmed, and I know that in her case she had always respected the good doctor, perhaps even getting a bit obsessed; but openly throwing her lot in with him the way she does? Without drugs or more hypnotherapy? A completely willing slave? This is Clarise, after all; strong-minded, brutally honest, trailer-trash Clarise. The only conclusion I have to make is that her alteration is completely of her own choosing. And that's what makes it a love story. 
 The question makes it delicious, of course.