Playwright Holly Dawson's memoir All of Us Atoms details memory lapses and a series of seizures that indicated something was wrong. Before consulting a doctor, she had been muddling up words, forgetting people's names, and flooding the bathroom.
Dawson's Conversation with Her Brain
The book presents Dawson in dialogue with her brain, which is both part of her and a separate entity. "Don't be cross with me, my love. I am tired," the brain tells her. "Between your ears hearing a word and your mouth repeating it, I am doing all this work you don't see." Dawson, approaching 40 and a single mother of two children, later learns she has epilepsy and a brain tumour, which may or may not be benign. A consultant explains she must wait several months to find out, so she begins preserving memories and words while she still has them. "Come. Sit. Take your notebook … write it down," says her brain.
Scattered Recollections Build a Self-Portrait
What follows are scattered recollections of Dawson's life, including childhood days at her grandmother's house; school holidays playing with siblings and pretending to dig a mine at the bottom of the garden; ballet training and an eating disorder that robs her of puberty. These snapshots shift in perspective, moving between the second and third person, gradually building a picture of her past.
Actor Helena Bonham Carter narrates the audiobook, bringing fresh shape and clarity to Dawson's deliberately fractured and impressionistic prose. What emerges is an original self-portrait and a compelling exploration of memory, identity, and the self. The audiobook, available via Canongate, runs 7 hours and 29 minutes.
Further Listening Recommendations
Also recommended is The Rose Field by Philip Pullman, published by Penguin and David Fickling Books, running 22 hours and 36 minutes. Michael Sheen narrates the final instalment of the Book of Dust trilogy, in which Lyra and her daemon receive an epic farewell. It also features a bonus Q&A between Pullman and Sheen discussing the legacy of the series.
Another option is With the Law on Our Side by Lady Hale, published by Vintage Digital, running 10 hours and 36 minutes. This is a tour of British law from the former supreme court president, featuring real stories from benefits tribunals and the family and criminal courts. Lady Hale narrates, finding justice being delivered amid squeezed budgets and backlogs where it can take years for cases to be heard.
