This Ragged Grace tells the story of Octavia's journey through recovery from alcohol addiction, and the parallel story of her father's descent into Alzheimer's. Looking back over this time, each of the seven chapters explores the feelings and experiences of the corresponding year of her recovery, tracing the shift in emotion and understanding that comes with the deepening connection to this new way of life. Over the course of this seven-year period, life continues to unfold. Paths are abandoned, people fall ill, waters get choppy, seemingly impossible things are navigated without the old fixes.
As Octavia moves between London, the island of Stromboli, New York, Cornwall and Margate, each place offers something new but ultimately always delivers the same message: that wherever you go, you take yourself with you.
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I walked to hard and so fast in the winter of 2013 that I wore right through a pair of red Doc Martens.
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(Canongate, 1 June 2023, e-book, 256 pages, ARC from the publisher via NetGalley)
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I really enjoyed This Ragged Grace. I'm not familiar with the author but felt compelled to read this memoir when I read the blurb. I haven't had alcohol addiction but went through a phase of drinking excessively when a relationship ended badly so I could relate to the author's experience. My gran had Alzheimer's so I could really relate to the author's experiences with her father. This is a powerful memoir, raw, visceral, and heart-breaking at times. I feel privileged the author chose to share her story with me.