The Illness is a novel that every family must read in order to give them the coping mechanisms that are needed in life. It is intoxicating and intriguing, and it explores life from the perspective of everyday families through mental illness, disabilities, and addictions. The book shows how everyday people cope with life and keep everything together by not letting the everyday battles that they face control or ruin their lives. At least thats what they think. The story is told in first person limited omniscient and is seen through the eyes of the narrator. His experience with each character and how he or she is dealing with life is unexpectedly told through his experience at work. However, the narrator has his own battles, and the major battle is the illness. The illness controls his every thought process and how he himself perceives the world.