Highly recommended by Stephen Fry (a reason in itself to purchase it) this book shows Haig is a writer of great talent. With a mix of humor and sensitivity he takes us to the deepest abyss of his life: his years of depression. His descriptions are of great intensity (not being able to get up for days, wanting to commit suicide, or – more accurate – wanting not to have been born at all). We, those who never had the illness, will never really grasp the overwhelming, all-consuming nature of ‘the black dog’.
But the real strength of the books lies in the big smile I had on my face after reading the last words: it genuinely makes you want to live. Live with great intensity. Depressives see the concept of time as one of their biggest enemies; they fear every second of the day, wish for the minutes to go by. Haig wouldn’t be Haig hadn’t he formulated some practical tips. Those lines make a short chapter, called Self-Help:
How to stop time: kiss
How to travel in time: read
How to escape time: travel
How to feel time: write
How to release time: breathe
DANIEL PEPIJN VAN DIJK 