A Speccy Man Has A Breakdown - day 49

Hear me read this.

<< Day 45

My wife Harriet posted this on Instagram yesterday. She puts it better than I can.

In early 2018 I had just started a new job as editor of the Observer Magazine. I was absorbed in a major relaunch, finding my feet with a new team, and supporting a 14-year-old at the start of her GCSE year.

And then my husband was admitted to psychiatric hospital. We’d been together since 1989 and it came – to me – totally out of the blue.

It was a frightening time. I remember asking his psychiatrist, Henrietta Bowden-Jones, if he would ever be ok again. Oh yes, she said. Happily, she was right.

The first photo in the Instagram post.

I was struck by the warmth of replies to what Harriet wrote, including these from writers I admire:

“Wonderful and brave, who are we if we can’t share the scary stuff? want to read.” – Julie Myerson

“So many men find it hard to understand what’s happening to them and how to get out of the maze. I’m glad you did.” – Dr Lucy Hone

“I always loved reading JP’s work. This feels so important.” – Fleur Britten

I’m grateful, and a bit winded. It’s one thing to make a book. Another to hear what people say about it.

Because it didn’t stop there. For some reason a post in which a woman talks about her husband being admitted to psychiatric hospital got a lot of views, I mean really quite a lot, and then Harriet got messages from several women: editors of national newspapers and magazines, and the presenter of a flagship BBC radio programme — asking if she / we would write / talk about this.

And it’s really a bit overwhelming.

I mean, I wanted to spread widely a story about how a person who thinks there’s nothing to live for might in fact find that it’s going to be OK. But I started talking about this a month ago to just you, a tiny audience of people who specifically opted in to read my emails on the topic.

Now just about everyone seems to know about this thing that felt, for so long, so very shameful.

Nice problem to have, you might say. I’ll let you know when I’ve worked out how it feels.

Not sure about that yet.

Oh gosh.

In other news, we had a nice walk with a view of the sea, and a tasty lunch and then another walk in the golden hour but you probably don’t care about that.

If you haven’t bought a copy yet, it’s not too late. Buying options and shipping costs are here.

Just 199 copies remaining, amazingly. Know someone who’d like one? Please pass this on.

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👉 If you or someone you know is struggling, please call a crisis line (in the UK, Samaritans on 116 123), and / or take a look at Reasons To Stay.

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Someone forwarded this?
Start from the beginning here.