Reasons to Stay Alive

'I want life. I want to read it and write it and feel it and live it. I want, for as much of the time as possible in this blink-of-an-eye existence we have, to feel all that can be felt. I hate depression. I am scared of it. Terrified, in fact. But at the same time, it has made me who I am. And if - for me - it is the price of feeling life, it's a price always worth paying'

Reasons to Stay Alive is about making the most of your time on earth. In the western world the suicide rate is highest amongst men under the age of 35. Matt Haig could have added to that statistic when, aged 24, he found himself staring at a cliff-edge about to jump off. This is the story of why he didn't, how he recovered and learned to live with anxiety and depression. It's also an upbeat, joyous and very funny exploration of how to live better, love better, read better and feel more.

Winner of Books Are My Bag Readers Awards - Non-Fiction 2016 (UK)

“Fascinating and beautifully written”

Maybe the most important book I've read this year -- SIMON MAYO 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 -- IAN RANKIN Matt Haig uses words like a tin-opener. We are the tin -- JEANETTE WINTERSON Thoughtful, honest and incredibly insightful -- JENNY COLGAN Brilliant and salutary ... should be on prescription -- REV. RICHARD COLES 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 Warm and engaging, and shot through with humour ... a valuable contribution to the conversation Sunday Times Quite simply brilliant Bookmunch I feel like someone else in the world understands me now. I feel a bit less alone, a bit less scared, a bit less guilty and anxious and burdened Little White Library A heart-breaking account of a young man experiencing debilitating depression but comes with a surprising light touch Sunday Mail The amount of passages I've underlined is a real testament to his skills as a writer The White Journal A life-affirming and quietly joyful read Connaught Telegraph A tender, candid, inspiring book about depression Sunday Express

Matt Haig is the author of five adult novels including the bestselling The Humans, a World Book Night title in 2014, and The Radleys, which was selected for Channel 4's TV Book Club and was voted winner of the series in 2011. He has also written for children and young adults and his work has been translated into thirty languages. @matthaig1 #reasonstostayalive

'I want life. I want to read it and write it and feel it and live it. I want, for as much of the time as possible in this blink-of-an-eye existence we have, to feel all that can be felt. I hate depression. I am scared of it. Terrified, in fact. But at the same time, it has made me who I am. And if - for me - it is the price of feeling life, it's a price always worth paying' .. Reasons to Stay Alive is about making the most of your time on earth. In the western world the suicide rate is highest amongst men under the age of 35. Matt Haig could have added to that statistic when, aged 24, he found himself staring at a cliff-edge about to jump off. This is the story of why he didn't, how he recovered and learned to live with anxiety and depression. It's also an upbeat, joyous and very funny exploration of how to live better, love better, read better and feel more.

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