Date of review: July 6, 2022
Matt Haig’s book has a permanent space on my desk and never finds its way back onto my bookshelf. It has helped me through incredibly difficult times in the past, and continues to do so in the present. His writing is so real, raw and relatable – it helped provide the first glimmers of hope for me when I was in a very dark place, even before I could properly believe in that hope.
Haig is extremely personal in this book: the fact that he talks about his own experiences lends it a refreshing type of authenticity that really reaches the reader, making them listen. In his first chapter, “this book is impossible,” Haig talks about the fact that he knew he wouldn’t make it when he was stuck in his depression, he knew he was going to die. The fact that he has written this book provides the ultimate hope: Haig found “a salvation from the dark,” in spite of it seeming completely impossible to escape. Because he describes just how dark his darkness was, the reader is led to see how incredible and how possible healing is. It was a profound sense of kinship and hope to me in a difficult time, and I highly encourage it to anyone who is looking for their own way to endure through personal struggles.
Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig is available to purchase on Amazon UK
