ILLNESS AS

Love Affair

A Mystical Memoir on Marriage

“If you like Ram Dass and Anne Lamott, you will like this.” ~ D. Radick

Love is the ultimate medicine

“Heartfelt, comedic, irreverent, spiritual, and as deep as it gets…. It is a treasure.”

~ Carol E. Murry

“Your book is a masterpiece.”

~ Sherrill Anderson

A Memoir by Bruce Miller

A Philosophic Comedic Love Story About Healing

When Bruce Miller’s business collapses on the same day his wife collapses in his arms, the grim timing gets his attention.
He faces four mortgages and no income. Far worse, his wife Karen is diagnosed with metastatic brain cancer with seven months to live. And her dream career starts in four days. Together, Bruce and Karen go down every rabbit hole—quacks, mystics, folk healers, and oncologists. Ultimately, their buoyant refusal to be defined by cancer turns a grim prognosis into a vibrant chapter of life and living.

“There’s no step-by-step for letting your heart crack open,” Bruce learns. “You gotta take the plunge.”

“I discovered how what was going on in my body was not more powerful than the healing energies available to me,” Karen said.

Illness as Love Affair follows the couple from their consciousness-seeking twenties until death do they part—a poignant and comedic counterpoint to Susan Sontag’s Illness as Metaphor.

More than a memoir, Bruce and Karen explore the deep mysteries of faith, fate, and becoming whole.

Bruce is the author of six books, a screenwriter, brand strategist, and was a key player in bringing the work of the mystical poet Rumi to America.

274 pages
40 photos and graphics

“This prose is devouring me. How is it that no one has read this yet? It feels like unveiling a mysterious work of art.”
~ Lianne

“The warmth and understanding pop off the page and resonate in the heart. It is hard to put the book down.”
~ Geoff

“This book is at once heartfelt, comedic, irreverent, spiritual, and as deep as it gets. Anyone who has lost a spouse should read this book. It is a treasure.”
~ Carol E. Murry

“jesus christ, what a heartfelt no-exit ride down an energetic rapid.”
~ Donno

A heart-rending narrative of the love and struggle of a lifetime. Christ almighty, that was powerful!”
~ Don

“It is a very creative grieving that leads to a greater aliveness and spiritual connection. This book is an inspiration to those who grieve, and to all of us, to live more fully.
~ Eleanor