Travellers to Unimaginable Lands

An illuminating, compassionate exploration of the psychology of caregiving - and the mysterious world of the human mind

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A Guardian Best Book of 2023

A Telegraph Best Summer Book 2023

A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK

'A book so humane and quietly profound that everyone should read it' Bee Wilson, Financial Times

'The best book I have ever read that explores the effect on the brain of the carer, when someone has dementia. Unmissable' Professor June Andrews, dementia expert and author of Dementia: The One-Stop Guide

'This book will forever change the way we see people with dementia disorders-and the people who care for them.' Lori Gottlieb, author of Maybe You Should Talk To Someone

A husband believes his wife is an imposter. A man's sudden, intense Catholic piety provokes his wife. A mother and daughter struggle to come to terms with the disease that intensifies an already dependent relationship.

At their root, these existential dilemmas grow out of long-established patterns of behaviour that bind together patients and caregivers. Travellers to Unimaginable Lands explores the complex and profound psychology of caregiving, illuminating how the healthy brain's biases and intuitions make caring for people with dementia disorders so profoundly and inherently difficult.

Blending neuroscience, psychology, philosophy and literature with beautifully-observed case studies, Kiper illuminates the underlying mental mechanisms behind carers' experiences, dispels the myth of the perfect caregiver and, in the process, opens the door to understanding and forgiveness.