You Left Early: A True Story of Love and Alcohol

Description

'Extraordinarily powerful' Emma Thompson There are a million love stories, and a million stories of addiction. This one is transcendent. Louisa Young met Robert Lockhart when they were both 17. Their stop-start romance lasted decades, in which time he became a celebrated composer and she, an acclaimed novelist. This is both a compelling portrait of a lifelong love affair, and an incredibly affecting guide to how the partner of a 'charismatic, infuriating, adorable, self-sabotaging' alcoholic can find the strength to survive when the disease rips both their lives apart.

Louisa Young was a journalist for some years. Her first book was A Great Task of Happiness (1995), the life of Kathleen Bruce, her grandmother, the sculptor and wife of Scott of the Antarctic. She followed that with her Egyptian trilogy of novels: Baby Love (which was listed for the Orange Prize), Desiring Cairo and Tree of Pearls. They were followed by The Book of the Heart, a cultural history of our most symbolic organ. She has also published a trilogy of children's novels, written with her ten-year-old daughter under the pseudonym Zizou Corder. Her most recent novel, The Heroes' Welcome is a follow-up to the 2011 bestseller My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You, which was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2011 and the Wellcome Book Prize, was a Richard and Judy Book Club choice, and the first ever winner of the Galaxy Audiobook of the Year. She lives in London with her daughter.

'Rich and moving and beautifully written' The Times 'Bloody hell. It is an extraordinarily powerful and moving work - for all. Especially those of us who know alcoholics who can't not be that. An achingly beautiful book which I devoured in two sittings. Amazing' Emma Thompson 'Spectacular. I can't stop thinking about it. Louisa Young is a beautiful, beautiful writer and there is great courage and love in the way she addresses her subject. It's the portrait of a man and his times and his illness told with love but also with an unflinching honesty that feels like a great gift to the reader' Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of The Last Act of Love 'Beautiful but, yes, sobering story ... it is, at heart, an old-fashioned love' Daily Mail 'An extraordinarily candid bereavement memoir... As much as it's an overwhelming love letter, Young's book is also a sobering reminder of the devastating effects of alcoholism, not just on an individual's life, but on everyone else around them' Evening Standard 'The most riveting, heartbreaking book I've ever read about addiction, but above all about the nature of love. Already one of my books of the year' Linda Grant 'Brave, honest and beautiful' Nicholas Lezard, Evening Standard 'Louisa Young's memoir of her long, bruising love for musical genius Robert Lockhart is as honest as the morning after and the best account of loving against all sense since Penelope Mortimer's The Pumpkin Eater' Patrick Gale 'I'm still fucking crying. And it's such a great work of art. I wish I'd read it before I worked as a drug and alcohol counsellor' Philippa Perry 'Oh my God, it's so beautiful, and heartbreaking, and true' Sam Baker, The Pool 'Had me weeping into my pillow... Anyone who has ever loved an addict will recognise most of what she has to say' iNews 'An important book, one that demands we rethink a culture of blame around alcoholism ... moving, harrowing and tirelessly empathetic' Daily Express