Anna’s always had too many feelings. Or not enough feelings – she’s never been quite sure. Debilitating panic. Extraordinary melancholy. Paranoia. Ambivalence. Fear. Despair.

From anxious child to terrified parent, mental illness has been a constant. A harsh critic in the big moments – teenage pregnancy, divorce, a dream career, falling in love – and a companion in the small ones – getting to the supermarket, feeding all her cats, remembering which child is which.

But between therapists’ rooms and emergency departments, there’s been a feeling even harder to explain … optimism

A blend of memoir and research, the book is a compassionate insight into complex mental illness and the magic that can be found in spite of it all.