You Disappear, by Christian Jungersen (Anchor 2014)

Neil's picture
Neil

I came across this book, originally published in Danish, on the Brainline website, where it was reviewed from the perspective of a person either with a brain injury, or the caregiver of such a person. I ordered a copy. The novel is a psychological thriller, in which a man's personality changes as a result of his brain tumour, and the personality change triggers his catastrophic subsequent actions. It's narrated by his wife, and the tension hinges around how much of his behaviour he is culpable of, and how much was inevitable given his condition. The author has done his research brilliantly, the exploration of free will and the questions raised about identity are terrific, but it's also an excellent literary thriller, about an area which most people know little about.