The Upside of Down: A Memoir of Depression and Recovery

Two weeks after the launch of her first novel, Tara West confessed to her husband that she wanted to kill herself. And yet she was living a life most people only dream of
a well-paid job in advertising, a published novel, a loving husband, great hair… In this warm and unexpectedly funny memoir, Tara invites readers into and out of her battle with depression.

We follow her life from child and young adult in a tough housing estate to successful professional writer and mother, uncovering how her vicious inner critic was formed and how it drove her to succeed on the one hand, and consider suicide on the other.

Providing fresh insights into the illness, its impact on loved ones and the nature of recovery, this poignant memoir is moving, insightful, and ultimately, uplifting.

Tara West is the author two novels, Poets are Eaten as a Delicacy in Japan (Liberties Press, 2013) and Fodder (Blackstaff Press, 2002). She lives in Northern Ireland with her husband and daughter.