Scorpions

A Memoir

Tuppence Middleton

$39.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

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English

Rider & Co
03 June 2025

Memoirs; Coping with anxiety & phobias

A revelatory and beautifully written memoir about what it's really like to live with the often-misunderstood disorder, OCD.

'A skilful, poetic and bleakly funny account of coping with a lifelong condition' - THE GUARDIAN

'Absolutely extraordinary writing.' - JAMES O'BRIEN

'So fantastic' - CHRIS EVANS

'Candid and compelling. A must-read.' - BRYONY GORDON

'Brilliantly readable.' - PATRICK MCGRATH

My mind is full of scorpions. A cerebral itch, impossible to scratch. I know these creatures well, but they know me better. They answer to another name, this nest of scorpions, the writhing black mass that lives inside my head...

For as long as Tuppence Middleton can remember, she has struggled with obsessive thoughts and compulsions. She visualises her OCD as scorpions inhabiting her mind, something to be hidden that impacts her life daily-

Have I killed my cat? When was the last time that person in front of me vomited? How many people have touched this door handle since it was cleaned? Should I tap the outside of the airplane to save my loved ones from harm?

Often used as a shorthand for tidiness or as the punchline of a joke, OCD is one of society's most misunderstood disorders and it's rarely spoken about with such honesty and openness.

In this beautifully written, moving and often darkly funny memoir, Tuppence recounts what it feels like to share your mind with a nest of scorpions.

'A fantastic memoir . . . Scorpions is intensely personal, yet somehow manages to be universal' - JOHN ROBINS

'There isn't a page that won't leave you with greater understanding and empathy' - JANET ELLIS

'Brilliantly immersive, funny, and brave' - LISA OWENS

By: Tuppence Middleton
Imprint: Rider & Co
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 222mm, Width: 141mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 318g
ISBN: 9781846048029
ISBN 10: 1846048028
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 03 June 2025
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Tuppence Middleton is a British actor and writer working in film, television and theatre. She grew up in Somerset, South West England and has lived with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) since the age of 11. Tuppence now lives in London with her partner and daughter. Scorpions is her first book.

Reviews for Scorpions: A Memoir

Absolutely extraordinary writing -- James O'Brien Candid and compelling, this book powerfully uncovers the raw realities of living with OCD. A must-read -- Bryony Gordon With insight and generosity, Tuppence bravely and skilfully reveals her own struggles with OCD and in doing so gives us all an essential handbook . . . there isn’t a page that won’t leave you with greater understanding and empathy -- Janet Ellis An extraordinary piece of writing. In precise, elegant language, Tuppence Middleton gives us a clear, controlled and very lucid picture of a most strange and frightening psychological condition. Brilliantly readable -- Patrick McGrath With unpretentious prose, Tuppence Middleton illuminates how devastating and all-encompassing this illness can be. Unflinchingly frank, and remarkably honest -- Claire Fuller Scorpions is about living with OCD, but it’s also about living full stop. Tuppence Middleton has written a brilliantly immersive, funny, brave, deeply human book, brimming with intelligence and creativity -- Lisa Owens