I first became aware ofAnthony Macris when I readhis heart-wrenching,beautifully wrought Meanjinessay,* When Horse BecameSaw*, about his young son’sdescent into autsim. Thismemoir, commissioned onthe strength of that essay, tells the widerstory – about how his son’s condition wasrecognised, the diagnosis process, thedevastating effects on he and his wife, andthe tough decision they took to undergo atime-intensive, cripplingly expensiveexperimental therapy as the only way theythat offered hope for helping their son find away of communicating and being in theworld. It’s not a miracle story, but it doesoffer some small hope. It’s also a damningindictment of the Australian government’smeagre provisions for families with autism.Readers with autistic loved ones will begrateful for this book; it’s also an engrossinggeneral read and a poignant story of acouple’s fierce love for their son.

Jo Case is Editor of Readings Monthly