I read this as it's been shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize and I do love the chance to read fiction with a scientific slant. It's the fictional account of the descent into madness of real life early 20th century Judge Daniel Schreber. Schreber himself published a personal account of his journey through psychosis at the beginning of the last century and psychologists will be familiar with the case studies published by Freud and Lacan as a result of Schreber's account. In Pheby's retelling we experience the first person confusion, frustration and despair of living with a mind out of control. Gaps in memory, unreliable recall and perception and a feeling of the unreal lead to intense paranoia, mania and periods of (we presume) catatonia where there are gaps in the narrative timeline. Throughout it all his unwavering devotion to his wife and his daughter's devotion to him provide us with just enough steady points in the storm to be able to understand what's happening around Schreber, even if he does not. It's a fascinating and meticulous novel of human malady, presented carefully and skilfully. I loved it.