‘Girl in the Dark’ by Anna Lyndsey (Bloomsbury, 2016)
As every reader knows, there are some books that stay with you. This can be for a variety of reasons. A hero may become your ideal man, a horror story may make you shy away from innocuous places, an adventure may make you want to see more of the world. I think ‘Girl in the Dark’ by Anna Lyndsey may be such a book for me.
Anna Lyndsey was living a relatively normal life when things began to change. Working at an office computer, she found that her face began to burn. At first, she endured it, using fans to cool her skin. But attending a meeting one day, she found that the subterranean room’s ceiling lights were also causing a reaction and she realised with horror that the problem was getting worse. She sought medical help and went on sick leave, not knowing that she would never return to office work again. Diagnosed with photosensitive seborrhoeic dermatitis, what began as an irritation became a debilitating, chronic condition that led to an isolated life in a blacked out room. With limited options and no hope for a cure, how can a vibrant young woman, brimming with ambition, survive?
