Ratings58
Average rating4
"Like nearly one in five people, Matt Haig suffers from depression. Reasons to Stay Alive is Matt’s inspiring account of how, minute by minute and day by day, he overcame the disease with the help of reading, writing, and the love of his parents and his girlfriend (and now-wife), Andrea. And eventually, he learned to appreciate life all the more for it."
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Depression is hard to explain, but Matt Haig does it justice here. He knows, and this book genuinely made me cry for him and for me and for everyone else that has ever felt this pain.
Matt Haig est un écrivain anglais que je ne connaissais pas jusque ce que je découvre ce livre. Dans Reasons to Stay Alive, publié en 2015, il livre son témoignage sur la dépression et l'anxiété dont il a souffert depuis l'âge de 24 ans.
Ce livre est difficile à juger d'un point de vue littéraire, mais à mon sens totalement utile, pour plusieurs raisons.
C'est d'abord un témoignage très personnel d'un auteur qui se livre et se dévoile. Je peux aisément imaginer à quel point oser écrire ce livre a pu être difficile pour Matt Haig. C'est le récit d'une expérience propre à l'auteur, même si nombreux sont les lecteurs qui y reconnaissent leur propre vécu face à la dépression et à l'anxiété.
C'est aussi un livre qui a pour objectif, comme son titre l'indique, de donner aux autres des raisons de vivre, c'est-à-dire de montrer à celles et ceux qui souffrent de dépression qu'il est possible d'aller mieux, de traverser cette période sombre et d'en sortir, différent mais vivant.
C'est également un livre destiné à ceux qui connaissent mal ou pas du tout les maladies gravitant autour de la santé mentale, ou qui en ont des idées préconcues. Ce n'est pas le premier livre qui tente de s'adresser à eux, mais Matt Haig le fait ici avec une fluidité et une justesse que j'ai envie de saluer.
C'est enfin un livre à la fois clair et obscur, qui ne cache rien des difficultés traversées par l'auteur mais montre aussi un chemin vers une situation apaisée. Pas parfaite, pas une guérison totale, mais une situation apaisée.
Je ne sais pas comment j'aurais perçu ce livre si je l'avais lu il y a deux ou trois ans, quand je me débattais dans les pires moments de ma propre dépression. Ce qui est sûr, c'est que lire aujourd'hui les mots de Matt Haig, alors que j'ai parcouru une partir du chemin qu'il décrit, m'a mis en face de quelque chose de connu, avec cette pointe de réconfort quand on se dit qu'on n'est pas seul à avoir vécu cela.
I was going to start this review by saying “anyone who knows me will know that I've suffered with x, y and z” but then I realized that no, that's not true at all. In fact, most (nearly all) of the people who know me have no idea of the things that happen inside my head or the true state of my arms under those cardigans and jumpers. Depression, anxiety, self-harm - I can't talk about any of them when it comes to my own experiences. I'm the biggest advocate for mental health awareness and yet I completely suck at being honest. It's been compared to coming out, actually. You live with this massive secret inside of you for years that no one knows about unless you tell them, and telling them becomes this huge, scary obstacle that seems completely inaccessible.
The fact I can't talk about my problems is, in itself, is the very reason this book is perfect. Matt Haig has taken everything I have ever felt and never been able to describe, and put it into a book. I understand the importance of talking about these things (I co-founded a mental health awareness charity for young people), and Matt Haig has done it in the best way possible. He's honest, open, descriptive and encouraging. He talks of writing and reading as some of the best cures - his book is one of them.
I went out for the day today and read this book on the train journey. Every so often, I'd stop and look at the people sat near me. I wondered how many of them felt the way I did - statistically, one in four; how many were wearing long sleeves because they were hiding something - statistically, one in ten (for teenagers); and how many of them would benefit from reading this book - every single one.
This book will be recommended to every single person I talk to from now on. I'm going to try and be better and talk about why it's so important to me, but I can't promise anything. I get ridiculously scared and worried and then I can't breathe properly (ha THANKS BRAIN), but I will try to open up more because this book is so important that it absolutely deserves some of my fear in order to spread its message further.
Matt mentioned in his book that he sometimes checks Goodreads for reviews; if you're reading this, thank you. I want to hug you very hard and not let go. You're an inspiration to me and I hope that one day, I will be as brave as you.
Sometimes the only thing that keeps me from drowning completely in a sea of darkness is knowing that someone else understand this, that there is someone else who experiences the infinite black ocean with me. Sometimes the only thing that keeps me going is the thought that I am not as alone as my mind wants me to believe.
Featured Prompt
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