"Deary's flexible, 'dimensional' approach makes room for varied individual experience ('our breaking, like our world, will be our own') and lays fertile ground for sensitive, analytical musings . . . An empathetic and searching meditation on some of humanity's deepest psychological questions." --Publishers Weekly
"Much-needed . . . A particular strength of the book is the way Deary weaves between different schools of thought within psychology, philosophy and religion. The result is not merely a discussion of abstract ideas, but a collection of valuable observations about what it means to be human in the modern world . . . A cathartic meditation on just how difficult life can be . . . Deary makes a compelling argument as to the necessity of self-compassion. He leads us to a more humane understanding of our suffering and offers practical advice for navigating life's ups and downs with greater grace and equanimity." --
Alex Curmi, The Guardian (UK) "Deary's exhilarating new book mixes science, philosophy and memoir to argue that self-acceptance is our best defence against the stress of living . . . Deary's writing is wise and compassionate, sometimes florid and always interesting--few writers could jump so nimbly between Proust and RuPaul, neuroscience and the occult . . . Deary's is the rare book that helps you see the world a little differently." --
Sophie McBain, New Statesman (UK) "This essential self-exploration underlines the deeply humane plea which is the heartbeat of the book: for more self-compassion." --
Bel Mooney, Daily Mail (UK) "Urgent . . . Reading this book had me re-reaching for F. Scott Fitzgerald's seminal essays on his own 'crack-up, ' not least because the speculative cadences of some of Deary's metaphors are reminiscent of those pieces . . . The self-help wisdom here is properly caveated and hard-won." --
Tim Adams, The Guardian (UK) "[Deary's] understanding extends beyond the purely conceptual, emanating from first-hand
experience of almost a year of post-viral fatigue . . . [He] challenges our cultural tendency to view work and rest as opposing forces . . . In those moments when we may be tempted to do it all anyway, Prof Deary offers a thought experiment that just might be a game-changer: 'Think of what you value in the people that you care about. I'll bet you don't say, 'I love you because you're so darn productive.'" --
Niamh Jiminez, Irish Times "Lyrical and ultimately uplifting . . . from [a] personal base, we range outwards, via Deary's polymathic referencing of literature . . . it's all done with a light and self-deprecating touch. Deary's last message is optimistic. When we do break, healing--or acceptance--is (often) within our grasp, but it may require a 'fundamental reorientation of our outlook." --
Isabel Berwick, Financial Times 
