Feverland: A Memoir in Shards

“Shards” imply something shattered, and indeed, you do understand reading this memoir that something was shattered in this narrator's life. The book starts out with a narrative of severe illness and fragility–a brain tumor–but you soon learn of physical abuse and mental illness as well. The narrator has traveled all over the world and read a great deal too, but there is darkness overshadowing much of his experience. I had a difficult time figuring out when was the right time to read this book, because next to his beautiful reflections would be a description of torture or animal suffering. I couldn't read it at mealtimes or bedtime. I would have put the book down for good, but the beauty of his writing and the quality of wonder in it drew me back over and over again. Proceed with caution.