The Outrun A Memoir

After a childhood spent on an island in northern Scotland, and shaped as much by her father s mental illness as by the cycle of the seasons on their sheep farm, Amy Liptrot longed to escape her remote life. When she moved to London, she found herself in a hedonistic cycle. Unable to control her drinking, she gradually let alcohol take over. After more than a decade away, Liptrot returns home to Orkney, struggling to come to terms with what happened to her in London and trying to heal. Spending early mornings swimming in the bracingly cold sea, her days tracking Orkney s wildlife puffins nesting on sea stacks, arctic terns swooping close enough that she can feel their wings and her nights searching the sky for the Merry Dancers, Liptrot makes the journey toward recovery from addiction and begins to come alive again. Luminous, life-affirming. . . . I ll be pressing it into people s hands for years to come. Olivia Laing A lyrical, brave memoir. Will Self, Guardian"