This is Not a Pity Memoir

Both very funny and as propulsive as a thriller...impossible to put down. -- RACHEL COOKE * Observer * Every once in a while, a book comes along that causes me to undergo a genuine shift in perspective. Abi Morgan's This is Not a Pity Memoir had exactly this effect . . . heart breaking, profound and even funny -- Cressida Bonas * Spectator * With her trademark deadpan, trenchant wit, and a deeply soulful mindfulness, Abi Morgan takes a breathtaking hike on the cliff edge of a life upended by illness. By turns harrowing, cracking sharp and heartbreaking, it is comforting to accompany someone with her sense of humor and the absurd on this trip - this book is a gift to anyone who has been similarly unmoored by fate and the furies -- MERYL STREEP Very moving but never sentimental, tough but never cynical . . . gripping, funny and always honest -- DAVID NICHOLLS Truly breathtaking. Arrestingly honest, funny, profound and exquisitely written. I could not have loved it more -- CAREY MULLIGAN I wept. I laughed. I dared to hope. I felt my heart crack. This book is life. It is exceptional -- SAM BAKER The kind of book you will find yourself saying urgently, over and over, to friends: 'Have you read it?' -- CAITLIN MORAN An extraordinary story told extraordinarily well. I don't know how Abi Morgan has managed to live through all this, let alone write such a fascinating, heartbreaking yet frequently funny book about it. It is so gripping I honestly couldn't put it down -- MARINA HYDE Funny and brutally honest . . . an absolute insight for those of us lucky enough to never know life like this -- PANDORA SYKES Incredibly powerful, moving, funny, honest & brave. I LOVED it -- EDITH BOWMAN A mash-up of all the things I love in a book - honesty, comedy, pathos and what-happens-next. It's brutal - in a good way - but above all else it's a testament to kindness, stickability and enduring love -- KIT DE WAAL uplifting and powerful...highly recommended * Woman's Weekly * A very moving and utterly absorbing story told with the surgical skill of the brilliant scriptwriter she is * ALEXANDRA SHULMAN * A sharp, poignant and witty joy to read that will leave you energised and uplifted * CELIA WALDEN * Astonishing, terrifying, heartbreaking... as well as grief and fear, there is humour, tenderness and so much love * Express * Told with brutal honesty and a heroic amount of humour . . compelling * Radio Times * Heart-breaking but life affirming and soul-stirring . . . Told with a candid honesty and humour . . . a touching love story and a testament to the human spirit, family and friendship -- SARRA MANNING, Red Uplifting and powerful * Women and Home * Captivating and compelling * Express * Compelling . . . mordant humour and heart-warming beauty * Irish Independent * I couldn't put it down -- EMMA BARNETT * Woman's Hour * This Is Not a Pity Memoir ... hurtles along poetically, while managing to be funny and ultimately full of hope * Independent * True to the book's title, [Abi is] a born storyteller sharing an extraordinary human tale in all its complexity, heartbreak and humour * Cardiff Western Mail * A heartbreaking but hopeful read that will resonate with anyone who has had to cope with a loved one's illness * Chic, supplement to the Irish Daily Star * Award-winning screenwriter Abi Morgan's account of how she effectively lost her husband to a terrible brain injury is full of heart yet simultaneously unsentimental * Business Post * A touching love story and a testament to the human spirit, family and friendship * Red Online *