大象传媒

Maggie O'Farrell recalls the moment at which, aged eight, she woke up to find the world 'looked completely different'.

She'd contracted encephalitis, an illness that continues to have an impact upon her life.

Maggie O'Farrell's startling memoir, in which the bestselling author recounts her life through a series of near-death experiences.

Read by Hattie Morahan.

The book started out as a private project, a way for O'Farrell to help her young daughter who suffers from a serious immunology disorder, including severe eczema and allergies that can cause anaphylactic shock:

"I've asked myself, when she has been very ill, how do you carry on when death is a daily possibility?"

Abridged and produced by Kirsteen Cameron

First broadcast on 大象传媒 Radio 4 in August 2017.