With regard to his childhood book. I have seen 3 children in my H situation. He is currently runing replay, depression and withdrawal.
It is very possible when he asked for that he was the little boy that the book is aimed at. He obviously has fond memories of the book from a long time ago, probably when he was ill. This will have been where his emotional development stopped in childhood and he is reverting back there to make good what he couldn't do as a child/teenager.
MLC children are very interesting. My H goes back to his childhood when his mother was ill and died. OW has exactly the same socialising problems his mother had.
