Reasons to Stay Alive
Reasons to Stay Alive is a Sunday Times number 1 bestseller and was in the top ten charts for 49 weeks. It has been published by 29 publishers around the world. Here’s the UK cover (Canongate) :
It was named as one of Entertainment Weekly’s Must-Read Books of 2016.
This is the blurb from the book:
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FEEL TRULY ALIVE?
Aged 24, Matt Haig’s world caved in. He could see no way to go on living. This is the true story of how he came through crisis, triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him and learned to live again.
A moving, funny and joyous exploration of how to live better, love better and feel more alive, Reasons to Stay Alive is more than a memoir. It is a book about making the most of your time on earth.
‘I wrote this book because the oldest clichés remain the truest. Time heals. The bottom of the valley never provides the clearest view. The tunnel does have light at the end of it, even if we haven’t been able to see it . . . Words, just sometimes, really can set you free.’
It’s had some lovely reviews:
“Matt Haig is astounding” STEPHEN FRY
“For anyone who has faced the black dog, or felt despair, this marvellous book is a real comfort, dealing sympathetically with depression, written with candour and from first-hand experience. I think it is a small masterpiece. It might even save lives” JOANNA LUMLEY
“A really great read, and essential to our collective well-being” JO BRAND
“A life-saving book” AMANDA CRAIG
“Brings a difficult and sensitive subject out of the darkness and into the light” MICHAEL PALIN
“Full of wisdoms and warmth” NATHAN FILER
“Matt Haig is a marvellous writer: limpid; tender; passionate. In this memoir (and it’s short, barely 200 pages long), he manages to articulate, both the bleakness of depression and the means of dealing with it, little by little, day by day, without ever sounding maudlin, or self-indulgent, or preachy. For everyone who has ever felt the snap of the black dog’s teeth, this book is wise, funny, affirming and redemptive. Sometimes depression can be like falling into a wordless pit. Matt Haig finds the words. And he says them for all of us” JOANNE HARRIS
“Reasons to Stay Alive is wonderful. I read it in one sitting. Touching, funny, thought-provoking, with a huge heart. It should be read by anyone who has suffered, or known someone who has suffered (i.e.. everyone)” S J WATSON
“Fascinating and beautifully written” IAN RANKIN
“Thoughtful, honest and incredibly insightful” JENNY COLGAN
“Brilliant and salutary . . . should be on prescription” REV. RICHARD COLES
“Warm and engaging, and shot through with humour . . . a valuable contribution to the conversation” SUNDAY TIMES
“A tender, candid, inspiring book about depression” SUNDAY EXPRESS
“Destined to become a modern classic” ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
“”An in-depth exploration of Haig’s battle with depression, if you need a pick-me-up on a very fundamental level, you could do a lot worse than this book.” PEOPLE
Wonderful and essential” CHRISTOPHER WEIR, THE HUFFINGTON POST
Penguin America cover
