Author:Colin Dann
'He saw on man raise his weapon and take aim at him... and, the next instant, felt a fierce sear of pain in his right thigh...'
The fox cub Bold has left the sheltered life of the nature reserve determined to make his way in the world. But, exulting in his new-found freedom, he becomes reckless. And now he lies badly wounded by a hunter's bullet. Can Bold survive - lamed and unable to hunt - in the harsh environment of the real world he so eagerly entered? Winter is coming and friends are hard to find . . .
Courageous stuff... intense, compelling, raw
—— The TimesPoetically unpeels the layers of fear and shame built into the psyche of children who are raised as Witnesses.
—— The TelegraphA coming-of-age story like no other, The Last Days is about finding voice through desire, authentic connection and creative expression. It sings with the strength and bravery it takes to step away from what has defined you, particularly when those you love follow a different truth. A searingly honest memoir.
—— Lily DunnI loved this book. It's a thing of beauty. Ali Millar pulls you heart first through an extraordinary life, somehow making sense of an experience that should make no sense at all. A sublime talent.
—— David WhitehouseHighly recommend
—— Dan Harris, bestselling author of 10% HappierAn exciting new book that combines recent research into meditation with fresh, accessible, and profound teachings on the actual practice
—— Pema Chödrön, author of When Things Fall ApartA rare blend of genuine, far-reaching meditative wisdom and the cutting-edge neuroscience that both explains and supports it. This book is an extraordinary collaboration and a great jewel that will benefit all who read it
—— Joseph Goldstein, author of Seeking the Heart of WisdomPRAISE FOR TSOKNYI RINPOCHE - He is a powerful and eloquent link between the great yogi practitioners of old Tibet and our bewildering twenty-first century. He's completely comfortable in both. And he makes us comfortable, too.
—— Richard GereGoleman offers hope for us all
—— The Times[Why We Meditate] shows how we can regain our innate rhythm
—— Sainsbury's MagazineEach chapter is a kind of antidote for the scepticism...read this book
—— New ScientistFascinating
—— Simple ThingsA lovely look at a not-quite-vanishing craft that lies, literally, below our knees… Bingham…has produced a lavishly illustrated guide to some of the most inventive and interesting kneelers in the country
—— Oldie, *Christmas Gift Guide 2023*A courageous and often shocking book about the plague of addiction. Yet Original Sins is written with a wild, brilliant humour that offsets the horror. Gripping, hilarious and unforgettable, this is an inspirational survivor's story
—— Gabriel ByrneMatt Rowland Hill has gone to the depths of himself and emerged with something unique, graceful, piercingly smart, and devilishly funny. Many books have been written about addiction. Original Sins is unlike all of them, and stands among the very best
—— Rob Doyle, author of Here Are the Young MenMatt Rowland Hill guides us to the edge of devastation, and doesn't flinch from the ache of addiction, family anguish and inward despair. But this is a book that's optimistic to the core, as honest about grief as it is about joy. I won't forget it
—— Jessica J. Lee, author of Two Trees Make a ForestA tour de force
—— Scotland on SundayA scorching, relentless, absolutely essential read about the roots of addiction and what it takes to save yourself. Hill writes like he has nothing to lose, and like he was born to create this harrowing, utterly transfixing, beautifully wrought portrait of a young man tortured by the twin horrors of family and religion... To take that darkness and make a brilliant, forceful work of literature from it is the holiest alchemy
—— Merritt Tierce, author of Love Me BackOriginal Sins is a wonderful, shimmering book; a tonal triumph that shifts nimbly between funny, poignant, sly and direct. More than that, within its propulsive, psychologically honest pages, is a genuine wisdom
—— Rebecca Watson, author of Little ScratchMatt Rowland Hill's marvellous debut, by turns excruciatingly anguished and elatingly funny but always engrossing, is an essential experience for anyone interested in family dynamics, adolescence, class, psychology, theology, or English prose
—— Leo RobsonA brutally honest reflection on family faith and addition
—— iMatt Rowland Hill writes so beautifully and with such intelligence and precision, such elegance and control, that really, I'd happily read his thoughts on the most mundane of matters. But Original Sins is certainly not that. It's a startlingly candid memoir of addiction, faith, loss, family, anguish, despair, hope, love. It's simultaneously devastating and genuinely funny, and a reading experience of the highest order
—— Wendy ErskineHill is an engaging and reliable narrator of his own chaotic downfall, with plenty of charm to medicate the horror... his account is both eloquent and heartfelt
—— Times Literary SupplementBeautifully written... searing, angry and comic
—— Church TimesHarrowing but excruciatingly funny
—— New Statesman, *Books of the Year*[A] blazing debut... Electric from page one
—— Sunday Times, *Books of the Year*Scabrously funny... Were his account a novel, you might accuse it of being too far-fetched
—— Guardian, *Books of the Year*His remarkable, funny, arrestingly well-written memoir brings to mind Edward St Aubyn's Patrick Melrose novels, but is also entirely, exhilaratingly its own thing
—— The TimesOriginal Sins is a memoir that reads like a novel; a brilliant one. Matt Rowland Hill's struggle to overcome the perfect storm of his upbringing and addiction makes for a great story, but it's the blend of artistry, wit and skilfully timed stabs of brutality that make it such a vivid and thrilling experience. It's not that I didn't want to put the book down, more that it wouldn't release me from its grip
—— Chris PowerBrilliant... lively, engaging and extremely well written - scrupulously, painfully honest... sharply funny
—— Pandora Sykes, SubstackDaniel Hawksford provides a richly textured narration, conveying the absurdities of Hill's evangelical upbringing and the agony and chaos of his addiction... Original Sins is full of moments of dark farce
—— Guardian