Sunbathing in the Rain: A Cheerful Book About Depression - Hardcover

Lewis, Gwyneth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007120613 ISBN 13: 9780007120611

Publisher: Flamingo, 2002

Synopsis

A cheerful book about depression – a literate but undogmatic guide (part memoir, part companion) to surviving a ‘disease of the imagination’ that is coming to seem like the defining malaise of the early twenty-first century

Depression is assassination. And the depressive is a detective charged with ‘tracking down the perpetrator of his or her own murder.'

Sunbathing in the Rain draws on the strength of poetry in a new form for prose non-fiction. It is intended for those who have suffered from or have seen a relative or friend succumb to depression. The ever growing multi-million dollar market worldwide for anti-depressants attests to the scope of the disease, an epidemic in this century. But this is no mere self-help book, its appeal is much wider.

Whilst the overall structure of Sunbathing in the Rain moves from dark to light, telling the story of Lewis's recovery, its different strands allow a variety of tones and subjects to be explored, from the profound to the frivolous. Alongside a paragraph about the proper relationship between the ego, the mind and the emotions nestles a passage on the therapeutic value of nail varnish. Practical hints on how to get better (diet, read Hello!, helpful pieces of music) sit alongside striking quotations.

Part memoir – drawing on her own experiences, both adverse and encouraging, as a depressive and an alcoholic – and part guide or companion, this book brings Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy into the twenty-first century. Lewis unpacks her dark memories, plucks up the arrow of truth-telling and the shield of wit and re-embarks on a journey that nearly killed her first time round. She survives, again, and shows how others might, too.

About this title

About the Author

Gwyneth Lewis is an award-winning poet whose work has drawn widespread acclaim. Her last book, Zero Gravity, which followed the journey of her cousin to repair the Hubble Space telescope, was shortlisted for the Forward Prize. She is married and lives in Cardiff.

From the Back Cover

Depression is assassination. And the depressive is a detective charged with ‘tracking down the perpetrator of his or her own murder.'

Sunbathing in the Rain draws on the strength of poetry in a new form for prose non-fiction. It is intended for those who have suffered from or have seen a relative or friend succumb to depression. The ever growing multi-million dollar market worldwide for anti-depressants attests to the scope of the disease, an epidemic in this century. But this is no mere self-help book, its appeal is much wider.

Whilst the overall structure of Sunbathing in the Rain moves from dark to light, telling the story of Lewis's recovery, its different strands allow a variety of tones and subjects to be explored, from the profound to the frivolous. Alongside a paragraph about the proper relationship between the ego, the mind and the emotions nestles a passage on the therapeutic value of nail varnish. Practical hints on how to get better (diet, read Hello!, helpful pieces of music) sit alongside striking quotations.

Part memoir – drawing on her own experiences, both adverse and encouraging, as a depressive and an alcoholic – and part guide or companion, this book brings Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy into the twenty-first century. Lewis unpacks her dark memories, plucks up the arrow of truth-telling and the shield of wit and re-embarks on a journey that nearly killed her first time round. She survives, again, and shows how others might, too.

Edition details

• Publisher: Flamingo
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0007120613
• ISBN 13: 9780007120611
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272