[A] brilliant, tender book… An extraordinary work of love and art, which left me choked with tears.
Maggie Gee, Observer
A moving memoir as well as a historical study of epilepsy… With verve and sensitivity, Grant tells the stories of individual sufferers.
James McConnachie, Sunday Times, Book of the Year
Grant’s exploration of the literary, political, medical and scientific history of epilepsy is hugely compelling; his telling of the story of two brothers transcends the book’s twin genres and leaves us with a wry, gentle masterpiece.
Seamus Sweeney, Times Literary Supplement
A fascinating personal and historical account. *****
Helen Brown, Sunday Telegraph
A flawless amalgam of personal memoir, mind science and medical history.
Ian Thomson, Spectator
In writing A Smell of Burning… Grant may yet save more lives as a writer than he did as a doctor.
Helen Brown, Daily Telegraph
As a memoir of Christopher’s trajectory of illness it is tenderly expressed, and the book is a poignant evocation of grief and regret.
Gavin Francis, Guardian
He brings a core of expert knowledge and skill as a communicator to the story… [An] absorbing and sometimes horrifying tale.
John Gribbon, Literary Review
At its best is like the works of other medics-turned-authors Atul Gawande and Henry Marsh.
Tom Whipple, The Times
[Grant] helps us gain an eminently accessible insight into a world that…is still shrouded in mystery. It is a touching tale of brotherly love.
Helen Davies, Sunday Times
[A] moving memoir.
Sarah Stacey, Daily Mail
An enthralling and eclectic account.
Caroline Sanderson, Bookseller
A readable and informative book that should help to lay to rest some of the many misconceptions about the condition.
Kate Whiting, Scotsman
A brilliant evocation of a young man’s difficult relationship with a stigmatized disease.
Suzanne O'Sullivan, Lancet
A scholarly yet highly readable account of the history of – as well as current thinking on – epilepsy.
Tony Gould, Oldie
Thanks to A Smell of Burning we are encouraged to put into question our own perceptions of what constitutes balance and harmony, in our brains, our minds, and the world around us.
Dr Maria Vaccarella, British Medical Journal
An informative book that will hopefully encourage readers to show more empathy.
Natalie Bowen, Northern Echo
Fascinating, moving and deeply personal.
Bookseller
Written by a former medic whose younger brother was an epileptic, this is a superb personal and historical account of the effect the condition has on the lives of sufferers and those around them
Daily Telegraph
This is a sharply poignant and sad memoir. It’s also a brilliant historical and medical analysis.
William Leith, Evening Standard
Paperback
9780099597872
August 15, 2017
Vintage
256 pages
Hardback
9780224101820
September 15, 2016
Jonathan Cape
256 pages
EBook
9781473511552
August 25, 2016
Vintage Digital
256 pages
