The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey (a pseudonym due to her illness), is a natural history/memoir of a bed bound person who spends her time observing a forest snail who inadvertently arrived at her bedside in a terrarium of field violets. Although the protagonist never says in the book that she has myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome, her illness description mirrors that of a severe ME/CFS patient.

In a NPR interview, the author explains her illness, that "it's physically limiting: 'extraordinarily difficult to live with — and it's very unpredictable... [and] depending on what specialist you go to, you can get a different diagnosis.' Those possible diagnoses include dysautonomia, a mitochondrial disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome."

The author wrote in a Question/Answer on the book's website: "The isolation and limits of illness can be very tough, sometimes even tougher than the illness itself. I do not know how I, or anyone, survives such situations. The snail was very critical in getting me through a hard time. I think each of us, in surviving any difficult life challenge, have to find a way to stay connected to the world as that connection is what sustains us."

Book Excerpt: Prologue:"From my hotel window I look over the deep glacial lake to the foothills and the Alps beyond. Twilight vanishes the hills into the mountains; then all is lost to the dark.

After breakfast, I wander the cobbled village streets. The frost is out of the ground, and huge bushes of rosemary bask fragrantly in the sun. I take a trail that meanders up the steep, wild hills past flocks of sheep. High on an outcrop, I lunch on bread and cheese. Late in the afternoon along the shore, I find ancient pieces of pottery, their edges smoothed by waves and time. I hear that a virulent flu is sweeping this small town.

A few days pass and then comes a delirious night. My dreams are disturbed by the comings and goings of ferries. Passengers call into the dark, startling me awake. Each time I fall back into sleep, the lake's watery sound pulls at me. Something is wrong with my body. Nothing feels right.

In the morning I am weak and can't think. Some of my muscles don't work. Time becomes strange. I get lost; the streets go in too many directions. The days drift past in confusion. I pack my suitcase, but for some reason it's impossible to lift. It seems to be stuck to the floor. Somehow I get to the airport. Seated next to me on the transatlantic flight is a sick surgeon; he sneezes and coughs continually. My rare, much-needed vacation has not gone as planned. I'll be okay; I just want to get home.

After a flight connection in Boston, I land at my small New England airport near midnight. In the parking lot, as I bend over to dig my car out of the snow, the shovel turns into a crutch that I use to push myself upright. I don't know how I get home. Arising the next morning, I immediately faint to the floor. Ten days of fever with a pounding headache. Emergency room visits. Lab tests. I am sicker than I have ever been. Childhood pneumonia, college mononucleosis — those were nothing compared to this.

A few weeks later, resting on the couch, I spiral into a deep darkness, falling farther and farther away until I am impossibly distant. I cannot come back up; I cannot reach my body. Distant sound of an ambulance siren. Distant sound of doctors talking. My eyelids heavy as boulders. I try to open them to a slit, just for a few seconds, but they close against my will. All I can do is breathe.

The doctors will know how to fix me. They will stop this. I keep breathing. What if my breath stops? I need to sleep, but I am afraid to sleep. I try to watch over myself; if I go to sleep, I might never wake up again.

The books is available in editions in: U.S., Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK, Australia, New Zealand, France, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan.

Awards

 * 2012 - William Saroyan International Prize for Nonfiction
 * 2011 - John Burroughs Medal Award
 * 2010 - National Outdoor Book Award
 * 2010 - Booklist Top Ten Adult Science & Technology Books For 2010

Articles

 * 17 Nov 2016, Finding new life at a snail’s pace by Al Cooper in The Spectrum