The Cure For Sleep by Tanya Shadrick

Book Review

I recently came across Tanya Shadrick’s work during an online workshop that was part of Sharon Blackie’s, Hagitude programme and when I heard her read snippets of her story I knew I had to read the book in full.

Auto-biographical, in ‘The Cure For Sleep,’ Shaddrick shares what happened to her after a near death experience and how she learnt to live in a different way, unlocking her creativity and embracing all sides of her self.

She bares her soul in sometimes excruiatingly uncomfortable moments in her life as she tries to free herself of what she feels is holding her back and learn to move forward whilst not loosing her true sense of self or the people in her life who care for her deeply.

She embarks on an epic task to write a book as a piece of performance art, knelt beside an East Sussex lido, with a role of paper long enough to hold a novel. Her journey to re-discovery takes her to the railings outside her house and as far as Switzerland but neither experience is placed higher in this voyage of discovery.

Photo by Maxime Amoudruz on Unsplash

A deeply personal book this book may contain some uncomfortable truths within it and some very visceral experiences which may be triggering. As far as the uncomfortable truths are concerned, as Tanya herself says, if you find yourself pushing against something and turning away, perhaps we should take a moment to examine why that is and then decide if it’s a door we want to leave unopened.

This is not an easy read but for me I am very grateful to Tanya for sharing her experiences and showing the world that you can move forward without leaving everything behind.

You can buy Tanya Shaddrick’s, The Cure For Sleep, in all good bookshops. If you would like to buy a copy please consider visiting my page on Bookshop.org where I earn a small commission for book recommendations. Here you will find a plethora of myth, legend and folktale. Just use the button below to visit.

Don’t forget to support your local library too and see if they have a copy to borrow.