Reasons to Stay Alive

From the #1 "Destined to become a modern classic." -- WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FEEL TRULY ALIVE? At the age of 24, Matt Haig''s world caved in. He could see no way to go on living. This is the true story of how he came through crisis, triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him and learned to live again. A moving, funny and joyous exploration of how to live better, love better and feel more alive, <"I wrote this book because the oldest clichés remain the truest. Time heals.< <The bottom of the valley never provides the clearest view. The tunnel does have light at the end of it, even if we haven''t been able to see it . . . Words, just sometimes, really can set you free."<

Named one of Entertainment Weekly's Must-Read Books of 2016

Finalist for the **Waterstone's Book of the Year
**
"Destined to become a modern classic." —Entertainment Weekly
        
"An in-depth exploration of Haig’s battle with depression, if you need a pick-me-up on a very fundamental level, you could do a lot worse than this book." - PEOPLE

"I dog-eared 45 pages in Haig's compact book where he wrote profound or poignant things. I could have easily marked more of them." - Jim Higgings, THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL

"Wonderful and essential" - Christopher Weir, THE HUFFINGTON POST

"a quick, witty and at times profound take on an illness many people suffer from, but sometimes can’t bring themselves to talk about." - THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE

"Things just got real. His honest — and surprisingly funny — first person account is a reminder that no matter how hopeless life may seem, it really never is." - NY METRO

“A scintillating read.” - THE DAILY MAIL

"REASONS TO STAY ALIVE is essential reading for anyone who has dealt with depression and for anyone who loves someone with the disease." - BOOK REPORTER

"Fascinating and beautifully written." - IAN RANKIN

"Brings a difficult and sensitive subject out of the darkness and into the light." - MICHAEL PALIN

"Matt Haig is astounding." - STEPHEN FRY

"Maybe the most important book I've read this year" - SIMON MAYO

"A life-saving book" - AMANDA CRAIG

"Matt Haig uses words like a tin-opener. We are the tin" - JEANETTE WINTERSON

"Brings a difficult and sensitive subject out of the darkness and into the light" - MICHAEL PALIN

"Thoughtful, honest and incredibly insightful" - JENNY COLGAN

"Brilliant and salutary . . . should be on prescription" - REV. RICHARD COLES

"A vibrant, encouraging depiction of a sinister disorder." KIRKUS REVIEW

"Warm and engaging, and shot through with humour...a valuable contribution to the conversation."  - THE SUNDAY TIMES

**Praise for **How To Stop Time

“Matt Haig’s latest book, How To Stop Time, is marvelous in every sense of the word. Clever, funny, poignant, and written with Haig’s trademark blend of crystalline prose and deft storytelling, this is a book that stirs the heart and mind in equal measure. A hugely enjoyable read.” - Deborah Harkness author of The All Souls Trilogy

"Compelling and full of life's big questions, How To Stop Time is a book you will not be able to put down." —Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Project 

"The narrator is 400 years old, but the sardonic asides give this pacy novel a modern twist. Matt Haig has designs on our heartstrings . . . The energy and zip of this book are hard to resist." —The Guardian

"Matt Haig is astounding." —Stephen Fry

Autorentext
Matt Haig is the internationally bestselling writer of six novels, including the New York Times bestseller The Midnight Library and How To Stop Time. He has also written award-winning children’s books. His work has been translated into thirty languages. He has written two memoirs, Reasons to Stay Alive, an international bestseller, and Notes on a Nervous Planet.

Klappentext

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library.

"Destined to become a modern classic." -Entertainment Weekly

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FEEL TRULY ALIVE?

At the age of 24, Matt Haig's world caved in. He could see no way to go on living. This is the true story of how he came through crisis, triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him and learned to live again.

A moving, funny and joyous exploration of how to live better, love better and feel more alive, Reasons to Stay Alive is more than a memoir. It is a book about making the most of your time on earth.

"I wrote this book because the oldest clichés remain the truest. Time heals. The bottom of the valley never provides the clearest view. The tunnel does have light at the end of it, even if we haven't been able to see it . . . Words, just sometimes, really can set you free."

Zusammenfassung
**From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library.

“A very special book that has provided a beam of hope to so many.”—DOLLY ALDERTON**

**WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FEEL TRULY ALIVE?
**
Aged 24, Matt Haig's world caved in. He could see no way to go on living. This is the true story of how he came through crisis, triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him, and learned to live again.

It has helped millions of people do the same. Moving, funny, and even joyous, these are the lessons Matt learned. His reasons to stay alive.

"I wrote this book because the oldest clichés remain the truest. Time heals. The bottom of the valley never provides the clearest view. The tunnel does have light at the end of it, even if we haven't been able to see it . . . Words, just sometimes, really can set you free."

Leseprobe
This book is impossible

Thirteen years ago I knew this couldn’t happen. I was going to die, you see. Or go mad.

There was no way I would still be here. Sometimes I doubted I would even make the next ten minutes. And the idea that I would be well enough and confident enough to write about it in this way would have been just far too much to believe.

One of the key symptoms of depression is to see no hope. No future. Far from the tunnel having light at the end of it, it seems like it is blocked at both ends, and you are inside it. So if I could have only known the future, that there would be one far brighter than anything I’d experienced, then one end of that tunnel would have been blown to pieces, and I could have faced the light. So the fact that this book exists is proof that depression lies. Depression makes you think things that are wrong.

But  depression  itself  isn’t  a  lie.  It  is  the  most  real  thing  I’ve ever experienced. Of course, it is invisible.

To other people, it sometimes seems like nothing at all. You are  walking  around  with  your  head  on  fire  and  no  one  can  see  the  flames.  And  so—as  depression  is  largely  unseen  and  mysterious—it is easy for stigma to survive. Stigma is partic-ularly  cruel  for  depressives,  because  stigma  affects  thoughts  and  depression  is  a  disease  of  thoughts.

When you are depressed you feel alone, and that no one is going through quite what you are going through. You are so scared of appearing in any way mad you internalize every-thing,  and  you  are  so  scared  that  people  will  alienate  you  further  you  …