“Brilliant... Montero is such an eccentric and delightful tour guide that her take on how the creative sausage gets made is utterly original and, ultimately, consoling. Whether or not you’re a writer, reading The Danger To Be Sane evokes something like joy and relief.”—Carmela Ciuraru, The New York Times Book Review

★ “In this unique exploration, Spanish journalist and novelist Montero unpacks the relationship between creativity and madness... Montero’s theories are consistently intriguing, as is the suspenseful narrative she unfolds... This is rigorous and thrilling.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

★ “A meditation on the connection between creativity and mental illness, threaded with an amazing personal story. Montero has channeled decades of thought and research into a wonderfully readable volume... Delightful, insightful, and wonderfully well told.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“In this moving and idiosyncratic book, the Spanish writer Montero explores the links between art and mental stability. Combining literary theory, history and first-person essay, Montero asks why so many artists aren’t ‘normal’—and whether that’s a bad thing.”—New York Times

“Journalist Montero delivers an insightful study of the link between creative genius and mental instability... The author discusses how creators use art as an essential evolutionary mechanism for survival and a means to relate to an often-chaotic world. Skillfully translated by Ford, the prose is candid and meticulously researched... This unique and compelling blend of memoir, psychology, and criticism offers profound insights into the artistic temperament.”—Library Journal

“A glimpse into the minds of different creatives, Spanish writer Rosa Montero weaves an excellent exploration of creativity and madness... As a usual reader of fiction, the mix of memoir, essay and analysis combine to read like a novel, with lyrical prose from the prolific journalist and novelist Montero... Fascinating, thoughtful and full of flair, into a subject that may often be glossed over.”—Buzz Magazine

“The Danger to Be Sane is an ebullient examination of madness, mortality, suicide. Searching the extremely well-documented lives of famous—and famously crazy—writers, Montero finds that ‘deviance’ is often just a more truthful account of normal human behavior. She deals seriously with the most serious subjects in the most open, accessible way.”—Chris Kraus, author of The Four Spent the Day Together andI Love Dick

“An incandescent, wise, brilliant book.”—Héctor Abad

“One of those books that you want to give away, to lend, to encourage everyone to read. Because writing rescues us, and so does reading.”—Claudia Piñeiro, Infobae  

“A book that absorbs and grips the reader.”—Juan José Millás, El País  

“A perfect synthesis and the culmination of the best of Rosa Montero's work [...] one of the literary milestones of 2022.”—Manuel Rodríguez Rivero, El País  

“A book to get people to read books again.”—Juan Cruz, El Periódico de España  

“A perfect read.”—Nadal Suau, El Cultural  

“Those of us who have felt strange, awkward, painfully sensitive, extravagant, the riders of an unbridled imagination, enthusiasts with sudden descents into the gloomiest discouragement, will find a mirror and an explanation in this book.”—Irene Vallejo  

“An enthralling essay where reality and fiction take each other by the hand in perfect conjunction, as if it were a narrative dance.”—Inés Martín Rodrigo, ABC  

“A documented review of the disorders, psychoses and irrationality that a major part of the population suffers from, and that all those authors that Montero has studied for decades have endured. A full-frontal exploration of her own mental health.”—Berna González Harbour, El País Semanal