Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Very interesting. Even the opening story of the subject who could not feel pain drew me in immediately. A good idea and interesting stories to illustrate the theme.

I am fascinated by books like this that explore what the brain is capable of, and also how the human body and mind can cope with significant damage to the senses.

Leschziner mixes annecdotes, longer case studies and detailed science really well and the book was fascinating from start to finish.
As someone who has had a brain injury this book really helped explain how it is that I have recovered but with some differences.

In this book the author, a neurologist, takes us through our senses from his perspective. He starts by looking at the idea of which sense we might be prepared to do without. Given there are generally considered to be five senses this seems like quite a challenge from the start. Indeed the further you delve into this book and the subject the more complex it gets. Are there really only five senses and what would being without one be like? The introduction has me more than interested very quickly.

The book combines specific cases, generally the author's own, with related aspects of neurology. It also looks at some of the more general challenges he has faced in his career. Certainly one of his general points is how badly doctors communicate with their patients at times.

In terms of cases and among others, we meet Paul who has no feeling of physical pain at all. The challenges of living life without necessary danger signals through pain are very big. Rahel is unable to walk/stand as she has no perception of her movements. Dawn has a "benign" tumour. Despite it being benign it is affecting her vision and this is during the pandemic which simply adds to the problems of treating patients. There are a number of other patients and cases mentioned. While I found them all interesting these ones seemed to stand out for me. The challenges of attempting to help people with some of these sort of conditions are substantial. All too often there is little that can be done.

In terms of general neurological issues a number are covered in the course of this book. I found the insights into how our brains offer us reality very interesting. During a chapter largely on vision I discovered that "blind spots" are actual a reality. The author tells us how we can check this and sure enough you can find your blind spot. What is remarkable is that we generally don't realise it as the brain "fills in" the gaps.

Aphantasia is discussed in a later chapter which concerns an artist in the main. After she had a stroke she lost her internal visualisation ability which helped her with her painting. I guess what I hadn't realised before I read this book is that something like this ability may not be common to everyone anyway. Until you ask someone what they can see/feel/experience they may have no idea that they lack something that others take for granted.

I guess no review of this book would be complete without referring to Synaesthesia. This is the state where the man in the title can taste words. However there are other forms of synaesthesia. The colours that some people find in music of music would be one and the chapter was again very interesting.

Towards the end of this book the author points out to the reader that "the way we experience the world is reliant upon the chemical and physical properties of our bodies (...) as much as on the physical properties of objects". In that alone the book is fascinating - what is reality? The epilogue continues considering that theme in part. It reflects on "what is reality" really even name checking The Matrix. Indeed it is clear from the book that the reality we each perceive might not be experienced the same way as others regardless of whether we are considered medically "normal". If no one asks us how we see/feel the world in its broadest sense we may be unaware that our senses are different to other peoples.

I did find some of these chapters quite dense. I would honestly suggest trying to read a whole chapter at a time for some ease of understanding. At times the reintroduction of cases I'd already read about in later chapters felt a little awkward. This may well not be a book for a real layman although I feel it should be appreciated by anyone with an interest in the subject. Allowing those thoughts this is a book that I really enjoyed reading. Parts of it were really fascinating and I learned a lot about senses generally and mine too.

A truly fascinating insight into how senses and the nervous system can impact people! It had me hooked from the first page, I felt like I learnt so much from this and ended up really interested in absolutely everything! Would love to read more on the subject, definitely recommend!