'Provocative but often funny, encyclopedic but down to earth...Hustvedt's erudite book deepens one's wonder about the relation of body and mind.' -- Oliver Sacks 'Readers of Oliver Sacks will rate this book highly; as with Sacks, scientific knowledge and a powerful capacity for empathy are closely linked...It is Hustvedt's gift to write with exemplary clarity of what is by necessity unclear.' -- Hilary Mantel, Guardian 'She thinks her way through complex subject matter with the effortless clarity of a poised and sceptical outsider...a short book with an encyclopaedic breadth' -- Lisa Appignanesi, Independent 'She has an enviable ability to digest and reframe her discoveries into clear, accessible prose' -- Melanie McGrath, Sunday Telegraph 'Fascinating...what gives the book its originality is that she wavers on the edge of the various disciplines, preferring her own imaginative, deeply personal reflections to the potential certainty that might be offered by doctors...Although a desire for clear-cut answers is understandable, Hustvedt suggests that this is often far from possible. And she leaves the reader thinking about his or her own bouts of illness in a thoroughly fresh way.' -- Lorna Bradbury, Daily Telegraph

Siri Hustvedt is the author of five novels, THE BLINDFOLD, THE ENCHANTMENT OF LILY DAHL, WHAT I LOVED, THE SORROWS OF AN AMERICAN and THE SUMMER WITHOUT MEN, as well as a poetry collection, Reading to You, and three collections of essays, Yonder, Mysteries of the Rectangle: Essays on Painting and A PLEA FOR EROS. Born and raised in Minnesota, she now lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Paul Auster.