A millennial’s journey of the soul around the world
THERE is a rule in publishing that when you are pitching an idea for a book, you compare it to existing, already successful, titles. In the case of Daniella Moyles’ first book, the memoir Jump: One Girl’s Search for Meaning, you would be describing it as Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love meets Dolly Alderton’s Everything I know about Love. A spiritual journey to find yourself for the millennial generation, which takes you all around the world.
In her mid-20s, Moyles was a well-known model and radio presenter, who found herself with a life that, on the outside at least, bore all the hallmarks of success. “Surely I was happy?” she writes.
In fact, she was falling apart, barely making it through the day. In what is an admirably honest account of her life, she describes how she sabotaged her relationship, was wracked by debilitating panic attacks, and beset by a fragile sense of identity.
Instead of confronting all of this, Moyles writes that “the answers to these questions would require some real self-awareness and acquiring that self-awareness would require time and deep reflection. So I ensured I was far too busy to find that time.”
In the end, Moyles reached complete burnout, and was forced to step away from her life. What followed was a trip all around the world, documented here, during which Moyles essentially breaks herself down to build herself back up. Good travel writing can be hard to master, at times boring, but Moyles’ style works perfectly.
The writing here is a mixture of soulful, confessional reflections on life, tempered with the writer’s robust sense of humour and frequent self-deprecation. It’s a mixture that makes for a likeable narrator, whose candid self-analysis may inspire you to your own. Jump is also, both thanks to its forensic honesty, and Moyles’ adventurous spirit, a captivating narrative, a book you will quite possibly read in a handful of sittings.
It’s unlikely any of us can escape the often bruising nature of our 20s, but for anyone there right now, this is a guidebook for navigating the inevitable difficulties of that time. More than that though, it will provide reassurance to anyone currently struggling with anxiety, one of the main subjects of this memoir.
For the many among us feeling somewhat daunted at the moment as we head out of lockdown, whatever your age, this book will prove helpful. The generosity of Moyles’ compelling honesty about her own hard times allows the rest of us to feel comforted.