EXCESSIVE descriptions of illness symptoms.

Wow, where do I start.

The short review: To me it felt repetitive, exaggerated, excessive, and irritating. It was way too focused on the mundane, and was lacking in substance. I had no attachment whatsoever to Kate because of her miserable, personality- lacking presence throughout the book. I had no reason to like her, and it was hard to have empathy for someone who has only been a one-dimensional ebodimemt of illness symptoms. I found myself becoming more and more annoyed with Kate, and I only felt empathetic toward her husband, Andrew.

As for the "creature," it's a bigfoot, again, just like every other book. I stopped listening at the word "primate", since it meant that I had just endured 12 chapters of incessant whining and misery only to find out the mysterious creature is just another big monkey. *SIGH*. I can appreciate what Shea and Fuller were trying to do, but I can't say this book did anything for me other than annoy me and tease me with the idea of something horror.

PASS.

**Detailed Review Below**

The Writing: I felt like 90% of the writing in this book (making up hours of listening) consisted of descriptive sentences that were not only repetitive and exaggerated, but they were relentless. They went ON and ON and ON....I felt like I was being punished for listening. I. GOT. THE. POINT.

The Story: More of a Lupus/Ehlers Danlos Syndrome catalogue of illness symptoms than a story. Apparently Shea and Fuller felt their readers should endure every miserable breath, nap, or bladder release of their character, Kate. The overarching narrative of this book was lacking in substance and direction, painfully focused on Kate's mundane day-to-day movements. It's mundane to the point you are informed every time she tossed in bed, everytime she tried to move, or everytime she finished a conversation and felt miserable. It was an attempt to portray an intimate marraige and the dynamic of the couple, however, even that too, was repetitive and excessive in description. In detail, you will learn where they like to eat, when they use the bathroom, and that they call their dog "Butt-Butt". You will hear over and over again how Kate literally cant do anything without agony and complaint, and how Andrew is there to comfort her every single moment of every single day and be unrealistically altruistic. You will NOT learn what they look like, how old they are, nor even who they are, apart from being trapped in a miserable situation and fulfilling a role.
It was excruciating to listen to this poor man wait on his wife hand and foot, sacrificing absolutely everything in himself for a woman who doesnt seem to care about HIS suffering or his life, only her own. If I were that ill, I would NEVER allow my partner to sacrifice his own identity, freedom, and happiness just for my sake because I was ill and miserable. If you love someone as he does her, you don't allow them to give up everything they care about.


I truly feel horrible for anyone diagnosed with lupus. I know 5 women who have been, and I know what a life on pain meds does to them. I didnt need to read a book about symptoms and misery.

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