Some people have a fear of snakes. That was a somewhat rational fear. And you could do something about it at least. Stay away from long grass and nature documentaries. Easy. Others have a fear of heights. That was manageable too. Avoid tall ladders. But how do you cope when your fear is something you can’t avoid? That you have no hope of staying away from? Being afraid of the sky, where are you going to go?

Alison Bevan has a loving husband and a baby on the way, yet she is deeply and endlessly tormented by the belief that she has been abducted by aliens – a belief that will have momentous and enduring consequences not just for her, but her entire family.

The debut novel by David T. Harwood, host of the X-Philes Talk X-Files podcast, is an intense and compelling exploration of characters struggling with intangible beliefs, hopeless melancholy, and the simultaneous torture and wonder it is to be human.