In the household of Sarah Moss's childhood she learnt that the female body and mind were battlegrounds. 1970s austerity and second-wave feminism came together: she must keep herself slim but never be vain, she must be intelligent but never angry, she must be able to cook and sew and make do and mend, but know those skills were frivolous. Clever girls should be ambitious but women must restrain themselves. Women had to stay small.
Years later, her self-control had become dangerous, and Sarah found herself in A&E. The return of her teenage anorexia had become a medical emergency, forcing her to reckon with all that she had denied her hard-working body and furiously turning mind.
My Good Bright Wolf navigates contested memories of girlhood, the chorus of relentless and controlling voices that dogged Sarah's every thought, and the writing and books in which she could run free. Beautiful, audacious, moving and very funny, this memoir is a remarkable exercise in the way a brain turns on itself, and then finds a way out.
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In the middle of the journey of your life - at least, almost certainly more than halfway through - you found yourself in a dark wood (ALL STORIES ARE TRUE)
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(@picadorbooks, 29 August 2024, e-galley, 320 pages, ARC from the publisher via @NetGalley_UK)
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I'm a fan of the author's fiction so decided to give My Good Bright Wolf a shot. It was the title that drew me to this memoir. I really enjoyed this book. I found it very moving. The author's childhood insecurities and eating disorder return to haunt her as an adult. I think some of the pain or experiences we have when we're young can still have an impact on us as adults no matter how we've turned out and how much we've left out young self behind. I felt a real connection to the author's experiences. I'm still haunted with things that happened to me what I was young. We are all shaped by our past. This is a gripping read and I'd recommend it.
