The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness

In the Introduction, O’Rourke describes her book as one that “resists the tidiness of most illness narratives” (27). What does it mean to describe her book in this way? Why do you think she feels the need to describe the way her book will unfold at its beginning?

One of the goals that O’Rourke names for her book in the beginning is to find language for an experience that “resists description” (21). How does her experience resist description? Use two to three examples from the text to support your thesis.

To narrate her own experience with illness, O’Rourke frequently cites other writers who articulate theirs in great detail. How does this technique relate to her views on the power of declaring one’s own suffering?