If you have ever been plagued by an illness that nobody could understand, and that no doctor could diagnose, that no medication could alleviate, and if you have ever had your otherwise reasonable self brought to the brink of insanity by said illness, then The Deep Places by Ross Douthat will likely be a good read and possibly even a comfort to you.

This book offers a tale of a man, and a family at the top of their game, who then are brought to their knees by a mysterious illness. The book offers insight into the experience of chronic illness, but it also takes an honest and stark look too, in that nerdy mix of insight, religiosity and theory that Douthat is known for.