So, yes, there is a story if you have the stamina and interest to pursue it, and it is one which you may find rewarding, for in this respect the argument of the novel may be taken as an attempt to distinguish between reality as perceived by the senses and reality as understood by the mind, especially the perplexed mind. The narrator’s mother died some time ago, and shortly afterwards their father disappeared, apparently unable to accept what had happened. The cottage floor and the few pieces of furniture are covered in scraps of paper in what he takes to be his father’s handwriting. Thoughtful, sharp, and deeply considered use of language that is both utterly captivating, and pulls off the trick of being both intense yet surprisingly accessible. That being said, I believe some specific resonant moments will stick with me, even if the overall arc of the story didn't quite deliver.

The problem is that the same word also attached to people who may have extreme anxiety conditions that will totally derail their lives. During an anxiety experience, or a panic attack, there’s that feeling of not being able to catch your breath or feeling like you're choking and you just can't control it. This intensity that I'm feeling in this moment of panic trying to get down off the side of the mountain safely, is the same experience that I want a reader to have reading the book. Fray is an exceptional and haunting debut, very reminiscent of the work of Max Porter … I absolutely loved it.

Yes, my parents were both runners, they got into it because of the Great North Run, and I sort of followed on. Chris has run for 30 years, sometimes quickly, sometimes competitively, but always to constructively manage his own mental health. You could argue the symbolism here: it being a reflection of the character’s “working through grief in real time”. This certainly isn’t a book for everyone due to the experimental nature of the writing, however I absolutely loved it.

The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Hearst UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1Y 4AJ. Chris Carse Wilson is an author and lifelong runner who uses exercise and nature to manage his mental health.And with a very short drive, there's a forest, a huge wooded area on the very northeastern tip of Fife, or there's other bits of woodland and beach and mountains that aren't terribly far away. Chris was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 40 and is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness. The story is set in the bleakness of the Scottish highlands, which sets the scene for a beautiful tale of loss, grief, and personal discovery.

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up Fray at Brome Lake Books; it seems to be a mystery with an appealing cover, and an Alan Cumming blurb the conjures up Masterpiece Classics. Haunting, gripping, a visceral portrayal of movement and mountains and the outdoors and the power and chaos of our own minds.

In my book, the narrator is also going through their own challenges, but there's a strong sense throughout all of it about the importance of running and breathing - breath is a thing that keeps coming up. There's a wonderful community waiting to welcome you to parkrun or to clubs or whatever it might be. There are interesting reflections on man’s interaction and alienation from the natural world, alienation from self and others. Running is letting go of language, stepping into a wordless space where you're free Did you struggle particularly with nerves or anxiety before races?

But one thing that I knew before I was doing that all this stuff is I have to run in the morning, before I go, as a way of managing my anxiety in advance.He records times and weather conditions precisely, then describes experiments whose purpose is unclear. If the book had been about the protagonists grief then the end would have been great, but while the theme is touched on, it just doesn't seem to be about that. I was talking recently about Haruki Murakami – I really love his running book [ What I Talk About When I Talk About Running] . An abandoned cottage in the remote wilderness, filled with thousands of confusing, terrifying handwritten notes.