Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses
by Kristen O’Neal
Fiction
Funny
Supernatural
* * * Stars (Pretty good)
Priya has to take a medical leave of absence from college (pre-med, Stanford) when she is diagnosed with Lyme disease. On some days she can barely function due to pain and brain fog. While she is recuperating she meets new friends through her blog and they form a chronic illness support group. Priya is closest to Brigid (both emotionally and in terms of location), so when they don’t hear from her for a few days, Priya decides to investigate in person. When she arrives, the front door is open, and there’s a huge dog-like creature trapped in the basement, who gets loose and tries to murder her. Priya distracts the dog with some steaks she finds in the fridge and calls animal control. The agent is dispatched, but when he arrives, the only thing he finds in the house is a naked woman – Brigid. Remembering a joke someone made in their support group about lycanthropy being a chronic illness, Priya suspects she knows what is going on and it becomes her mission to figure out how to help Brigid. Funny, but also poignant and real when it comes to dealing with chronic illness. For high school teens + adults (published for adults).
Reviewed by YA Librarian
