Magnificent Memoins
It takes guts to write a candid account of your life, but there’s nothing more powerful than women telling their truths, says Cyan Turan
Agood memoir is a wonderful thing, so if the current crop of spring’s superlative non-fiction is anything to go by, I’ll be enjoying brilliant reads right through to June. From established literary doyennes to debut authors, this season presents a raft of glorious stories. I urge you to pick one up, for what could be more vital than honesty and bravery among women? Here are my favourites…
Rosie: Scenes From A Vanished Life by Rose Tremain (Chatto and Windus, out 12th April) In The Road Home author’s first work of non-fiction, she documents her journey from disrupted upbringing to burgeoning young writer, growing up in postwar London with her sister, Jo, and longing for the respite of her grandparents’ Hampshire farm.
To Throw Away Unopened by (Faber, out 5th April) Viv Albertine Unflinching honesty is the theme of the Slits guitarist’s second memoir, a follow up to Clothes, Music Boys. It’s a testament to the rebuilding of a self, a portrait of a rebel, and a tribute to the love stories that pepper our lives.
The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy (Hamish Hamilton, out 5th April) The second instalment of the ‘living autobiography’ of the Man Bookershortlisted author of Hot Milk is a snapshot of a woman in the process of transformation.
The Electricity Of Every Living Thing by Katherine May (Trapeze, out 19th April) This life-affirming story recalls the journey of a women diagnosed with Asperger’s at 37 as she tries to make sense of herself and her diagnosis.
Places I Stopped On The Way Home: A Memoir Of Chaos And Grace by Meg Fee (Icon, out 3rd May) Plotting a decade of life lived among the hustle and heartache of New York, Meg Fee weaves together the drama and silence of her life in deft prose.
The Language Of Kindness: A Nurse’s Story by Christie Watson (Chatto & Windus, out 3rd May) An astonishing account of a profession defined by acts of care, compassion and kindness, and an urgent reminder of the need for these qualities in the NHS – and everyday life – from a nurse with 20 years’ experience.
Educated by Tara Westover (Hutchinson, out now) With a radical father who didn’t believe in the state, Westover had no schooling, birth certificate or medical records to speak of. This shows her struggle for self-invention – an extraordinary tale.
Skybound: A Journey In Flight by Rebecca Loncraine (Picador, out 19th April) After recovering from breast cancer, Loncraine learnt to fly, gliding in New Zealand and Nepal. Sadly, Loncraine’s cancer returned and this account is published posthumously. Her spirit and grit will move you.