Katherine May’s The Electricity of Every Living Thing is published in paperback today by Orion / Trapeze.
A heart rendering memoir about the realities of living with Asperger’s Syndrome, The Electricity of Every Living Thing is a funny and conversational book about being at odds with the world…
In August 2015, Katherine May set out to walk the South West Coast Path. Perhaps she was hoping to recover her identity after the onslaught of motherhood; perhaps she was clinging to the last threads of youth before she turned forty. Either way, she wanted to understand why she had stopped coping with everyday life.
A chance encounter with a voice on the radio makes her realise that she has Asperger’s Syndrome, a diagnosis later confirmed by her doctor. This leads to a re-evaluation of her life – a kinder one, which allows herself to be different rather than awkward, or arrogant, or unfeeling – and throws a new light on the walking project too.
Through the pages of this beautiful memoir, Katherine learns to understand her own needs and articulate them to others, battling all along with her fear of becoming unlovable.
“A windswept tale, beautifully told” Raynor Winn – The Salt Path
“A manifesto for the value of difficult people. I loved it'”Amy Liptrot – The Outrun
Katherine May writes fiction and memoir, and leads the Creative Writing MA at Canterbury Christ Church University. She is the author of The Whitstable High-Tide Swimming Club series, and her new memoir, Wintering will be published early next year by Ebury Press.
She lives in Whitstable with her husband, son and two cats, and can be mostly found walking along the beach and – yes – swimming in the sea. In her spare time, she reads, cooks and drinks gin martinis, stirred.
