With an introduction by Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm

My brain, which had just let me down so badly, was perhaps never so active. The paramedics' question was a fundamental one. Who are you? Yes indeed. Who am I?

Robert McCrum was forty-two when he suffered a massive stroke which left one side of his body totally paralysed, his speech drastically impaired, and his sense of himself radically altered. What followed was a prolonged period of recovery, full of heart ache and frustration, as he gradually regained sensation, movement and self-esteem and as his family pulled together in the extraordinary effort necessary to make him well again.

My Year Off is a moving story of determination, courage and love that sings with wit and honesty. An invaluable insight into the reality of life after stroke, the moments of hope, the anger and despair, this is a touching classic that gives voice to millions.

A heart-warming, compassionate book about sudden illness and love under pressure

About the Author
Robert McCrum was born and educated in Cambridge. For nearly 20 years he was editor-in-chief of the publishers Faber & Faber, and then literary editor of the Observer from 1996 to 2008. He is now an associate editor of the Observer. He is the author of Every Third Thought, My Year Off, Wodehouse: A Life (2004), six novels, and the co-author of the international bestseller, The Story of English (1986).

Reviews
Not only a riveting account of sudden illness, but also of love being put under a real test: a heart-warming triumph -- Kazuo Ishiguro * Sunday Times *
I have never read anything quite like this, moving and unsentimental . . . it should be prescribed reading for all -- Beryl Bainbridge



Book Information
ISBN 9781447289265
Author Robert McCrum
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Picador
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Weight(grams) 260g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 130mm * 19mm