The Woman Who Mistook A Wall For Her Husband

Der Spiegel has an unusual article about Objectophilia -- people who fall in love with things. One is quick to distance his sexual quirk from run-of-the-mill fetishism:

"We're by no means just straightforward fetishists," Joachim A. insists, and he immediately explains the difference: "For some people, their car becomes a fetish which they use to put themselves in the limelight. For the objectum-sexual, on the other hand, the car itself -- and nothing else -- is the desired sexual partner, and all sexual fantasies and emotions are focused on it."

One expert points out the obvious (with a delicious jadedness thrown in):

Sexologist Sigusch doesn't want to classify such odd behavior as pathological. "The objectophiles aren't hurting anyone. They're not abusing or traumatizing other people," he judges. And then he asks mildly: "Who else can you say that about?"