Cirrus@Austlit

'When Anthony Macris' son was diagnosed with autism, he and his partner Kathy had two choices: do what they were told - and could afford - or do what they thought best. This is the tragic, joyful, instructive story of how they confronted the condition that changed their lives.

'Before the onset of autism, Alex was a vibrant, healthy little boy, Anthony and Kathy the happiest of parents. Afterwards Alex was struck mute, barely able to recognise them. From then on, all that mattered was finding the right treatment.

'But how to do this, for a disorder with no known cause and no cure? Eventually Anthony and Kathy decided to take control of their son's therapy themselves, turning every aspect of their lives around in the process. It took a long time, but the radiance did return to Alex's face. By then he was a completely different person, and so were his parents.

'When Horse Became Saw is an extraordinary account of Alex's regression and his family's search for answers, an invaluable guide through the obstacles and decisions faced by anyone in their situation. It beautifully paints the emotional world of a father who finds himself in the strange country of autism - and something of a stranger in his own country, whose government refused to fund the therapy his son so desperately needed.

'Above all it enriches our understanding of those who are profoundly different yet have so much to give.' (From the publisher's website.)

'In a London Underground station during the build-up to peak hour: a penniless tourist, hefting an enormous backpack, is almost pushed off the crowded platform; an elderly woman craves a cigarette while staring at a government health warning; a pregnant mouse struggles to escape an oncoming train. In the tropical heat of suburban Brisbane: a lone schoolboy has a disconcerting experience while watching a film in a multiplex; three office workers mercilessly taunt a colleague; a father discusses with his young sons the morality of Stalin's starvation of the peasantry.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (2013 ed.)