Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan – Published in hardback by Particular Books, November 2012

Brain on Fire is the author’s first book. It is the real-life story of how her life collapsed instantly and dramatically when she developed a mystery condition in which she exhibited signs of everything from a stroke to epilepsy, from stress to insanity, and what one doctor diagnosed as a form of alcoholism, despite her moderate drinking habits. Early on she announced she was dying of melanoma and was bi-polar, but to her friends “Susannah no longer existed”.

Aged 24, Susannah Cahalan went from having a promising career in journalism, living in her own apartment in New York, to being under guard in hospital, strapped to the bed, unable to read, move or speak. All within the space of a few weeks.

Having almost no recollection of what happened during her illness, the book is based on hospital videos, medical records and notes kept by her family.

After $1m worth of scans and tests, referrals to doctor after doctor, a range of drugs and a race for a diagnosis before her insurance ran out and/or she was committed to life in an “institution”, in some ways this book reads like a thriller, with the disease as the villain and the heroes being her boyfriend and parents and, most significantly, neurologist, Dr Souhel Najjar, whose interpretation of Susannah’s simple drawing of a clock led to his diagnosis of a rare autoimmune disease and her eventual recovery.

It is difficult to rate this “return to life journey” – it makes for very difficult reading; even the loyalty of family and friends and occasional flashes of humour don’t relieve the bleakness for long. But if a stunning story with a brutally honest and very personal description of the author’s experience of this terrible condition and (thank God) a happy ending are the ingredients for a strong review, this scores very highly indeed.