A Speccy Man Has a Breakdown | How the book starts
A psychiatric admission. A new pair of glasses. A sketchbook
A few years ago, John-Paul Flintoff told his wife he thought he was worthless and wished he was dead.
She sent him to a psychiatrist, and shortly after collecting his first pair of spectacles, he had himself admitted to hospital.
He forgot to pack a toothbrush. He did take a sketchbook and pens.
Over the following weeks – and the difficult months that followed – he drew everything: the nurses, the patients, the visitors, the food, the view from the window. Nearly 300 drawings. He also wrote, in the same deadpan tone he’d used for years as a journalist at the Financial Times and the Sunday Times.
This is that account.
It is not a recovery manual. It is not an inspirational story. It is simply what happened – told with the same attention he would give any assignment – and illustrated, on almost every page, by the man who was there.
For anyone who has wondered what it is actually like inside, and why it’s hard to come out.
“It’s wonderful. Funny, truthful, heartbreaking and deadly serious all at the same time and the drawings are just delicious. Deserves a wide audience” – Julie Myerson, author of Home and The Lost Child
***
How the book starts
***
The rest is more of the same – photos, drawings, and the story of what happened next.
It exists as 250 signed, numbered hardbacks, each one with an A5 art print tucked inside the back cover.
“I read it in one sitting. Warm, insightful, beautiful and even amusing.” – Tim Lott, author of The Scent of Dried Roses
What you might do next
You’re welcome to read and move on. If you’d like to follow along, there are three things you could do, in any combination:
Just keep an eye on the site. New posts continue to appear. You can come back whenever.
Sign up for emails about the book. They’re short, and each comes with an audio version if you’d rather listen. Already on my main newsletter list? Please sign up here too – this is a separate list.