There are many descriptive words we use to try and
encapsulate the experience of reading a book that aligns almost magically with
our own.
There are also not enough. We tend to read and re-read
reviews and gushing adjectives so many times that we are almost numbed to their
meaning. Honest, gripping, moving, hilarious, poignant, heartbreaking… We’re
used to contemporary culture liberally sprinkling compliments as they bedeck
their many artisan cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles.
There are, likewise, experiences which are hard to translate
into words, and those where words elude us – they are too many, or too
dangerous, or they escape expression, or maybe the same words repeat on a loop
in our heads until we could scream.
There are books like “Reasons To Stay Alive” which manage to
achieve this magical hat trick. Finding the right words, then describing the
author’s experience of depression and panic disorder and anxiety in a
compelling, emotionally resonant and achingly true account; and to do this in
such a way that to read is to recognise parts of yourself that nobody else
knows about and to be seen. To be understood.
The isolating nature of depression and anxiety is somehow
alleviated through the recognition of experience and affinity with others who
have the same or similar battles, and the same or similar battles scars. Matt
Haig speaks openly and with raw candor about his experiences with depression
and panic disorder, in short passages and sections that make them easy to read;
a particular benefit that is instantly recognisable to anyone who experiences
the pain and difficulty of being able to take in any information when dealing
with severe depressive states.
Haig focuses on describing and exploring his own experiences and feelings, and the lightness of touch and brevity of sections belies the stunning depths and sometimes darkness in what he so adroitly expresses. He makes it clear to the reader that this is his opinions, and the nature of his honest subjectivity is what allows us to connect and empathise so strongly with his story. He outlines what he personally has found useful in recovery and managing anxiety and depression, yet not in a prescriptive manner; rather, it allows us to see that tiny chinks of light within the darkness of chronic mental health conditions can slowly reemerge, providing hope and solace.
Copies of "Reasons To Stay Alive" are currently available in the Learning Centre, along with a selection of resources about mental health, including selected "Reading Well" books.
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