Two Ends of Sleep.

Vancouver: Press Gang Publishers, 1997. 176 pp. $12.95 U.S. Write: 101-225 East 17th Ave., Vancouver, B.C. V5V 1A6M, Canada; or call: 604-876-7797.

"When had it all started to fall apart?" For Rusty, the protagonist of Lizard Jones's rollicking, often poignant novel, it begins to fall apart when she forgets an important message. She's been diagnosed with MS, a situation that she faces with the support of her lover Janet. While more and more MS publications speak about relationships and dating, this is the first to deal with the relationship between 2 women.

Rusty sleeps a lot. She has such a vivid fantasy life that it's often hard to tell whether she's sleeping or experiencing one erotic adventure after another. The descriptions of Rusty's overwhelming need for sleep could only have been written by someone who has lived with MS fatigue. Author Lizard Jones was diagnosed with MS in 1994.

The novel's dreamlike quality alternates with sections that are all too real, like Rusty's desperate search for a bathroom. When she steals a van, I was on the edge of my seat. Did she really do it, or was it another dream? Read the book to find out.

Reviewed by Maureen Lonegan, MD, who has had MS for 21 years. She lives in San Jose, California.