Your Voice in My Head

May 23, 2012 Anthi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir, interesting, contemporary, biographies, humor, non-fiction

I'm trying to find ways to describe this book but it's a difficult task because my mind is overwhelmed... in a good way. Emma Forrest is a charismatic and gifted writer, she's also a bipolar. At the age of 16 she was a columnist in The Sunday Times and by the age of 21 a contributor to the Guardian. And then to Vogue and Vanity Fair and The Independent. She interviewed rock bands, writers and Hollywood stars (even dated A-list actors and famous writers). She also published 3 books at that time,

...more

I'm trying to find ways to describe this book but it's a difficult task because my mind is overwhelmed... in a good way. Emma Forrest is a charismatic and gifted writer, she's also a bipolar. At the age of 16 she was a columnist in The Sunday Times and by the age of 21 a contributor to the Guardian. And then to Vogue and Vanity Fair and The Independent. She interviewed rock bands, writers and Hollywood stars (even dated A-list actors and famous writers). She also published 3 books at that time, all acclaimed. Then she sold a screenplay to Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B. In her early 20's she moved to Manhattan and a few years later to Hollywood.

Sounds like a charming life doesn't it? Emma seems blessed with talent and good fortune, but she's also cursed with manic-depression, a chronic cutter and bulimic with serious self-destruct tendencies. During her stay in NY she had an unsuccessful suicide attempt. That's the time she meets Dr. R, a well-rounded, good-hearted and eternally optimistic psychiatrist that helps her fight and cope with this disease. When Emma moved to California she continued having phone sessions with him and felt she was getting stronger. But then Dr R died unexpectantly of lung cancer -none of his patients knew he was sick- while Emma was already living in L.A. And a few months later the man she thinks is the love of her life, her Gypsy Husband as she calls him and a big Hollywood star (just google it if you're a gossip hungry bitch - I know I am!) breaks up with her and she's left to deal alone with heart ache and loss.

This memoir is as much an account of her struggles in the deep, dark, cold waters of depression as it is a tribute to the doctor who helped her and in a way became a father figure and an anchor (as was her knit-tight family) during her gloomiest moments.

This is not a self-help book, it does not dwell in Oprah-territory, Forrest doesn't offer advice or cope-mechanisms. And if it seems self-obssessed at times, well...isn't an autobiography by definition self-centered? Emma does what most seasoned writers always give as an advice to new ones: "write what you know best". And in our limited view of the world, do we know anything better than ourselves? Even when we aren't being honest about it?

Descending into the mind of a manic-depressive person is a bumpy ride, but Forrest has wheave her magic with her spartan and simultaneously lush prose. The result is (sorry in advance for the abundance of adjectives, but I can't describe it any better) irreverent, funny, witty, sarcastic, insightful, frank, heart-breaking, hilarious, raw, self-deprecating, gut-wrenching, brave and cathartic.

Her narration isn't linear, she jumps here and there, back and fro in time and space and is inderspersed with her thoughts. Like seeing a surreal impressionistic painting and yes I know these were different movements in Art, but that's the picture she created in my mind.

It's been a long time since a book made me go through an emotional roller-coaster, I cried and laughed so many times that I can't remember! And there are so many quotes and passages I loved that I would probably need to write half the book down. Instead I'll close my review with only one passage:

"Dr. R scratches out a note on his pad.
"Losing you both was only the practice pain, wasn't it? For my mum and dad..."
He puts his finger on his lips, his elbow at his chest, not racked with cancer. "Yes."
"And when that happens, this will seem like nothing."
He nods.
"When it happens," he asks me, "what will you get you through?"
"Friends who love me."
"And if your friends weren't there?"
"Music through headphones."
"And if the music stopped?"
"A sermon by Rabbi Wolpe."
"If there was no religion?"
"The mountains and the sky."
"If you leave California?"
"Numbered streets to keep me walking."
"If New York falls into the ocean?"
Your voice in my head.

(less)

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Feb 02, 2012 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobio-memoir, snotsobs-and-tears, mental-health-mental-illness, favorites, contemporary, non-fiction, all-time-favorites, books-that-linger, bosom-friends

Emma Forrest has a way with conducting a story. Her talent shines as she weaves her memoir into a tale that reads like fiction, yet presents constant reflection--almost as a third party--to her experiences, doing so in a charming and funny, yet heartfelt and honest way. I laughed, I cried a bit, commiserated tons, and just faced the fucking facts: We all have our struggles and living is the hard part; but perseverance is always a path awaiting our pursuit, if we choose it. I think this also sums...more Emma Forrest has a way with conducting a story. Her talent shines as she weaves her memoir into a tale that reads like fiction, yet presents constant reflection--almost as a third party--to her experiences, doing so in a charming and funny, yet heartfelt and honest way. I laughed, I cried a bit, commiserated tons, and just faced the fucking facts: We all have our struggles and living is the hard part; but perseverance is always a path awaiting our pursuit, if we choose it. I think this also sums up the brilliance of Emma's writing abilities. Though many people reading this may be unable to understand exactly the madness and struggle and pain a person with such mental illness experiences, she managed to bring recognition to the common griefs we share throughout life as human beings, and bridged a connection we all could share in some how.

Emma Forrest, talented English writer, has been suffering from mental illness since her early teens. She's Bipolar--the most sever form of manic-depression. Your Voice in My Head is mostly a tribute to the person she credits with saving her life, Dr. R, her psychiatrist whom she met in NY a couple weeks before trying to commit suicide in her early 20s. Dr. R died abruptly (to her, because she didn't know he was sick) from cancer complications in May 2008. This memoir served as a way to honor him for his efforts in helping her on her journey to wellness, including accounts of her deepest times of despair and struggles with the dark days, as well an endeavor to remember his guidance in order to help her charter the dark waters she now faces in her present without his counsel...a means of self-preservation without her life preserver if you will, as the battle to live--for her--is a revisiting struggle she wears like a garment of clothing.

I imagined writing Your Voice in My Head was also something Emma undertook to help her cope with his absence in her life. The retelling basically synchronizes their time together and how his counsel has led to her getting healthy.

I hope that she keeps living her life, writing, and experiencing new things that make her happy. I hope one day she will indeed make love last and come to know her true Gypsy Husband. And I most certainly hope that Dr., R will always be a comforting voice, a voice of reason, in her head.

Thank you for sharing your story, Emma. (less)

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Dec 09, 2012 Very rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, borrowed, city-girls, ebooks, moody-blues, style-points, true-story, xx, this-is-mental

I love crazy chicks. That's my favorite genre. I especially love crazy chicks who own their crazy, who are like, "I am crazy - hear me roar!" Emma Forrest is one of those girls, and she can write like the dickens when she feels like it. Parts of this book made me sigh with such understanding and other parts made me think, "Holy god, you are batshit."

Basically, she's a depressed, bulimic cutter who dated Colin Farrell, and she manages to make that interesting about 50-percent of the time. That's...more

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Aug 31, 2011 Sheldon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, memoir-and-biography, first-reads

Your Voice in My Head by Emma Forrest can be very uncomfortable to read, not because it is a memoir about mental illness, depression, mania, cutting, attempted suicide, and death, but because it is a humorous memoir about mental illness, depression, mania, cutting, attempted suicide, and death.

To start, I have a confession to make. I didn't know who Emma Forrest was before reading this book. She's published a few other books, written screenplays, blogs, worked as a journalist, and has been invol...more

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Feb 24, 2011 Brendan rated it 3 of 5 stars

good book. wafty cover image put me off but this is a wrenching book about mental health and the brilliant people who look after it. what happens when you lose the person whose voice is keeping you alive. a shattering, yet hilarious and poignant little book about it all, and laden with many a hip industry in-joke to boot. highly recommended. BBC.

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Aug 25, 2012 Diane Yannick rated it 5 of 5 stars

There is nothing I love more than an honest memoir that explores the thin line between creative genius and insanity. This author gave up any fear of tarnishing her public image and laid out her story, warts and all. It didn't hurt that she can pack a big punch in a short sentence. Emma, currently a talented LA screenwriter, transfixed me with her humor, wisdom and pain.

It was amazing to me how supportive and loving her parents were. Emma's bulimia, cutting, attempted suicide, manic episodes, ir...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com.

“Perhaps because my family are how they are, it took me a little while to realise…that my quirks had gone beyond eccentricity and past the warm waters of weird to those cold, deep patches of sea where people lose their lives.”

Indeed, coming from a family where whimsy and solipsism seem to be the name of the game, it’s perhaps little surprise that it takes a move from London to New York for writer Emma Forrest to shed the comforting...more This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com.

“Perhaps because my family are how they are, it took me a little while to realise…that my quirks had gone beyond eccentricity and past the warm waters of weird to those cold, deep patches of sea where people lose their lives.”

Indeed, coming from a family where whimsy and solipsism seem to be the name of the game, it’s perhaps little surprise that it takes a move from London to New York for writer Emma Forrest to shed the comforting insulation of charming eccentricity and begin to prod, prod, prod at the caged tiger of what is later diagnosed as rapid cycle bipolar disorder.

A prodigiously talented writer, Emma was working as a music journalist when still in her teens, and promptly progressed to novels and screenplays in the years that followed. Her life pre-medication, and no doubt post-medication, has been one of astonishing highs and the deepest, most flood-ravaged valleys, and this inclination towards extremes seethes off the page like the fog of the heat off the road on a summer day: there is a beauty here, but a dangerous one. Emma’s way with words is siren-like, and reading this memoir, you feel as though any moment you might stray off course. She speaks of completing entire screenplays in a few days, fuelled by nothing but mania and caffeine, and it’s not hard to imagine that it is in a similar state that this memoir was written: it is feverish, exhausting, and at times as painful as hell.

New York, Emma tells us, has brought up what is latent inside her, like leeches being used to dredge up the humours lurking within a patient of old. And perhaps there’s something to this analogy, for Forrest is no stranger to self-harm and self-loathing, tearing back and forth between glorious, glorious happiness to the deepest, most profound loneliness like an unstoppable pendulum. This is a razorblades-and-all memoir whose writing style is not so far removed from the way that Emma seems to lead her life; it gouges and slashes and weeps…and then becomes at times utterly transcendent. It is not a comfortable ride.

The book initially blisters along the temporal divide, unsure whether to place itself in the past, the present or even the future, and it itself feels almost like it is on the brink of a mania. But then it suddenly takes focus: we learn that it has been inspired by the sudden and unexpected death of the psychiatrist Dr R, the man who treated Emma, and many like her. The narrative, then, develops a purpose and force of reason beyond what initially seems to be an examination of the mirror of self, and reflects not only on Emma’s zigzagging emotional journey leading up to and beyond Dr R’s untimely death, but also those of the other patients he treated.

In a way it’s an extended obituary, a tribute, as Emma examines the way in which Dr R’s quiet, mild approach has so changed her life. The fact that each chapter features, unfortunately not always successfully, an appended tribute from another patient of Dr R’s, is at once moving and yet almost disconcerting: there is a clear obsession here that recalls the sleepless day-after-day writing binges that plagued her before her first having met Dr R. And, of course, this makes sense in a way: Emma was not finished with her treatment when Dr R suddenly died. Moreover, he died without having told her that she was ill, and Emma is the kind of person who can’t abide having things kept from her, or having such large changes occur in her life without her having some sort of say in it. Indeed, she speaks to Dr R’s widow about his having kept his illness from her, and is in a way placated to learn that Dr R, a life-long optimist, never believed that his lung cancer diagnosis would prove fatal.

Your Voice in My Head, then, is a mix of memoir, tribute, and cathartic reflective analysis. It is gloriously messy, deeply moving, and more often than not utterly maddening, but at the end of it all you can’t help but hope that Emma has reached, at least for a while, the calmness of equilibrium.(less)

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Jul 18, 2012 Teresa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Tuesdays with Morrie for the hip crowd. Emma Forrest is an accomplished young author/writer suffering from bipolar disorder. A series of dangerous relationships, beginning with a rape at the age of 16, erode her mental health until she attempts suicide at the age of 22. Enter Dr. R.

Your Voice is a tribute to the therapist, "Dr. R" who she credits with saving her life. Having achieved "recovery" Emma engages in long-term relationship with "GH" (commonly believed to be Colin Farrel). When GH ends...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Saloma Furlong rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Of all the good memoirs out there that never make it into print, how in the world did this one make it? I skimmed it because I wanted in the worst way for Emma to face up to the truth... to find her Self. To do so, she would have had to face the underlying reason for her self-destructive behavior in the form of cutting, bulimia, promiscuity, suicide attempts. And that is not to mention losing her Self in every relationship and then being completely bereft when he leaves her. The one moment... ju...more

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May 08, 2012 Clare Herbert rated it 5 of 5 stars

Spoilers ahead (& this book may prove triggering for some.)

I read Emma Forrest’s ‘Your Voice In My Head’ in one sitting, greedily slurping up her raw, precise prose. I first came across it as a podcast (which I can’t find online) and was instantly captured by the vulnerability and honesty in her voice. It turned up again on Sarah’s list of books.

This memoir details the author’s pattern of recovery and relapse from mental illness, spanning her years as an over-achieving teenage journalist in...more Spoilers ahead (& this book may prove triggering for some.)

I read Emma Forrest’s ‘Your Voice In My Head’ in one sitting, greedily slurping up her raw, precise prose. I first came across it as a podcast (which I can’t find online) and was instantly captured by the vulnerability and honesty in her voice. It turned up again on Sarah’s list of books.

This memoir details the author’s pattern of recovery and relapse from mental illness, spanning her years as an over-achieving teenage journalist in London to her current work as a novelist, screenwriter & journalist in LA. She begins to work with a psychiatrist, Dr R, who she credits with saving her life. When Dr R dies, Forrest writes this book in his memory.

“I walked hand in hand with the thought of suicide.”

It’s a fantastic read. Raw, vulnerable, authentic. Her writing is sparse and witty; very eloquent and at times uncomfortably evocative. “I swear to G-d”, she says, ironically censoring the swear word while revealing a list of her favourite places to cut herself. I enjoyed her inventories – of failed psychiatrists, of men, of her hospital expenses. The book is perfectly paced, flowing like a lyrical novel. She blends unapologetic frankness with eccentric stream of consciousness. It reminded me of Sylvia Plath’s ‘The Bell Jar’.

“I saw the pain and sadness in everything, and swirled it round my mouth like a fine wine.”

Her descriptions eating disorders, abortion, self harm and multiple suicide attempts shook me. At times, it was painful to read and more than once I had to pause for deep breaths. There’s no fairytale ending, but a content & quiet conclusion. It’s ultimately uplifting.

Much of the book’s press coverage stems from a thorough examination of the author’s relationship with a Hollywood star who is not named but very obviously identifiable as Colin Farrell. Farrell is not thoroughly demonized; appearing as a broken, confused man rather than a malicious one. Her depiction of life with him and the vitriol she’s subjected to while dating one of the world’s sexiest men interested me from a feminist perspective. (A classic case of women attacking each other over a man!)

“The MetLife Building sits, squat, to the right, like the Empire State’s fat but funny best friend. I can also see the Chrysler Building, pointy and sharp as the heel on a Louboutin stiletto. I imagine a giant Carrie Bradshaw lying on her back, one shoe in the air as she cries quiet, hot tears because Big decided she was too demanding.”

This is a book I read in a few hours, but it will stay with me for years. Forrest’s voice is strong, raw, real and wholly authentic. An intense, absorbing read. Highly recommended.

“Time heals all wounds. And if it doesn’t, you name them something other than wounds and agree to let them stay.”

(This was one of the first books I read on my Kindle (which I’ve named Charlotte – I name things.) I loved the process of picking a book, downloading it in minutes and reading it in one sitting. Wonderful.)(less)

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May 07, 2012 Josefine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, ebook, 2012

After having a somewhat crappy day yesterday, I read this book last night in one go. It's not that long, but by the time I was finished (and I really wanted to read it in one sitting) it was past 1am. Good thing I don't have to be anywhere this morning.

Anyway. Reading books in one sitting is always more intense than reading bits and pieces over several days with countless breaks inbetween, and it fits the story. I'm not sure if I'd really gone back to it, had I decided to put it down and turn ou...more

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Mar 17, 2012 kissmyshades rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, biographical, british-uk

I don't generally have the time for these kinds of books. Right now, I have a stack of books to read for school so I don't know why I bothered with this. I don't even like her music journalism from what I've read of it (hilariously fan-ish). I suppose her True Britpop Kid (TM) credentials (she knew Damon! she knew Richey!) just appeal to me and I thought that if I were born in England in the late 70s, I would be like her. Having read this, no. It's good when you realize your identification with...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Brandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-being-a-teenage-girl, quirky, beautifully-written, dark, nonfiction

Your Voice in My Head is a memoir about Emma Forrest. Her depression, her recovery, her therapist, her bad relationships, and Colin Farrell. Colin Farrel is a huge part of this book, whether the author intended him to be or not. And she can say she didn't, but I think she did. She spends a lot of time psychoanalyzing why he ended the relationship so abruptly and the type of personality defects he may have that will ensure he does it again. From other parts of the book, I get the feeling that she...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Kyla Crowley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Memoirs are my favorite genre of book, and I have read a great many of them. And I do generally read memoirs of mental illness and/or addiction. I can promise you that this is one of the better ones on the subject. Emma Forrest writes in a stream-of-consciousness, rather flippant style that I found immediately engaging. I have also struggled with depression and cutting, and I found myself constantly dog-earing pages of this book where certain quotes really spoke to me. I did not go into reading...more

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Ship. after reading this I realised like memoirs too,and stories that are based on true events and seeing you have read many of them can you recommend me so...more
Mar 21, 2012 07:05am

Kyla Crowley Ship. wrote: "after reading this I realised like memoirs too,and stories that are based on true events and seeing you have read many of them can you r...more
Mar 21, 2012 07:47pm

Ship. oh thank you a lot,i'm absolutely looking forward of reading all those and thank you again for helping and giving me a full answer with all the explan...more
Mar 24, 2012 05:26pm

Sep 13, 2011 Benjamin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read, memoir, psychology, nonfiction, first-edition

Going into this book, I didn't quite know what to expect. I haven't read a feminist depression memoir since grad school and to be honest I wasn't too hopeful about Emma Forrest.
The thing that saved this book for me was her very well crafted sentences and the uncontrived way that she linked her themes together. I could tell that Forrest spent a good deal of time working on individual sentences and it shows. Also, it helped knowing that "GH" was Colin Ferrell from the get go. I didn't really see...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Alex Templeton rated it 2 of 5 stars

As someone who spent five years with an absolutely wonderful therapist in New York, I was intrigued by the premise for this memoir: Emma Forrest would be writing about how her relationship with her therapist had an incredible impact on her, something she realized especially after his untimely and sudden death. Unfortunately, while I believe that Forrest intended to write her book as a tribute to what seems to have been an amazing individual, I don’t feel that she succeeded in that task. To me, t...more

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Jun 18, 2011 christa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My boyfriend had a writing professor in college who said: "Don't write about your dead grandma because I don't want to give you a D on a story about your dead grandma."

I should maybe alter that to: "Don't read memoirs with mentally ill protagonists because I don't want to give someone a D on a story about suicide attempts, cutting and bulimia." Especially not someone who has already been pummeled with toxic internet sledge by Colin Ferrell fanatics who found her too fat, too ugly to be the actor...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is one case where I wish we could give ratings in half-star increments - three stars is too much, two too little.

I'm attracted to memoirs. I'm intrigued by mental illness, it's debilitation and it's manifestation: namely, addiction. In the case of this book, said addiction is self-injury and bulimia. It seems Emma's (to call her 'the author' is too academic; 'Ms. Forrest' too austere) initial intention is to chronicle her battle with these compulsions, along with a touching homage to her l...more This is one case where I wish we could give ratings in half-star increments - three stars is too much, two too little.

I'm attracted to memoirs. I'm intrigued by mental illness, it's debilitation and it's manifestation: namely, addiction. In the case of this book, said addiction is self-injury and bulimia. It seems Emma's (to call her 'the author' is too academic; 'Ms. Forrest' too austere) initial intention is to chronicle her battle with these compulsions, along with a touching homage to her late therapist, Dr. R, to whom she gives almost exclusive credit for helping her conquer her mania. Got it. Ready for it. Go.

I will admit, roughly the first half of the book had me hooked. Though it seems many other readers were not enamored with Emma's writing style, I liked it: as a whole I found it casual enough to invite but not insult, while many passages wooed me with voice and language complex enough to impress, but not patronize. In terms of a writing opinion, I enjoyed Emma's tone and would read more of her work.

However, the content quickly became an issue. While I can appreciate the tragedy of loving & losing - who can't? - that's not why this book piqued my interest. And while I'm as interested in celebrity encounters as the next person - I quickly sour from namedropping. Combine the two, and you have a great majority of this memoir: brief, ineffectual exchanges with local actors and musicians, and a tumultuous but tiresome love affair with a dashing, surreptitiously nicknamed actor. I was hoping for a dissection of depression, or of cutting, or of bulimia, or of mania. I was hoping for an overview of therapy, or an analysis of Emma's specific relationship to Dr. R. I even hoped there might be a glimpses on writing itself & it's involvement with depression. These components were depressingly absent.

Ultimately, I was compelled by her struggles but quickly alienated by the stories she chose to tell. Her bipolar disorder never throws her writing or success into question - by her account, she remains wildly successful throughout the majority of the book. Her cutting is stark and severe, but she never discusses how it helps her, or why it is her recourse; similarly, her bulimia quietly fades into nothingness. What I DID learn, however, is that Colin Farrell text messages a lot, may or may not have some neurosis of his own, and at one point purchased a cute baby coat for a baby that didn't yet exist. This is a book about a woman's struggles, and while she's absolutely free to write about whatever she wishes - I almost feel manipulated, as if she used her mania as a cloak in order to pen a kiss and tell.

(less)

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May 23, 2011 Isabel rated it 1 of 5 stars

Disappointing. There's the famous writer who is more gifted than anyone of our generation (whatever that means), the movie star who was her soul mate until he wasn't and a handful of other more forgettable beaus. There are a few oddly placed pop culture references. Forrest comes across as an attention seeker, seemingly more driven to convince us all of her desirability to famous, gifted men than anything else. There were a few passages which were quite moving about her struggles but the emphasis...more

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Mar 18, 2011 Valentina rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just finished reading this memoir. I received it from NetGalley and have been unable to put it down since I started it.
This is an honest book. If you’re looking for powdered-sugar lies, then this is not the right book to read. If, like a large number of us, you have suffered through major depression or manic depression, this is a must read.
Ms. Forrest writes beautifully, there’s no denying that, but it’s not the beauty of her phrases that captivate the mind, but the spine of truth that allows...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Jo Case rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir, psychology

A cursory glance at the premise of Emma Forrest’s memoir might have you thinking ‘misery memoir’. It’s about relentlessly falling apart; about putting herself back together again, with the help of what sounds like the perfect psychiatrist; of bad relationships (one of them with Colin Farrell – unnamed but easily identifiable with a cursory Google); of failed suicide attempts, bulimia and cutting. And yet.

This is a truly exquisite piece of writing; an inventive look at mania and melancholy from t...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Elle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 04, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a pretty awesome (and WEIRD) book -- a little too adult for many of my students on here, I would think, but then, perhaps not -- surprise me with your maturity! It's about an oddly famous yet not, thirty-something British writer who fraternizes with movie stars and lives in NYC and LA. But more than that, it's about her obsession with being loved, her difficulty making those relationships last, and her ongoing struggle with manic-depression that drives her to self-harm and even attempt...more

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May 07, 2011 Andrew Shaffer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A sparse but heartfelt memoir detailing the author's relationship with her psychiatrist, "Dr. R," who she credits with saving her life following a suicide attempt. Psychiatrists and therapists end up with treasure-troves of knowledge about their patients' lives, while patients only ever get the briefest glimpses into these men and women who are often credited with saving their lives. Novelist and screenwriter Emma Forrest started the book as a way to cope with Dr. R's early death; somewhere alon...more

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Feb 18, 2011 Friend the Girl rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: any woman who needs to know it will be alright

Emma Forrest is my Dr. R.

I first read an excerpt of this book on The Guardian's website in January and became obsessed. I couldn't wait until May for it to come out in the States, so I ordered a copy from Amazon in the UK and didn't bat an eyelash at the fact that shipping cost as much as the book (and for that matter, when was the last time I had paid for a new first edition hardcover book? I always wait for the paperback). I needed to read this.

You see, I have my own GH. He decided to run away...more Emma Forrest is my Dr. R.

I first read an excerpt of this book on The Guardian's website in January and became obsessed. I couldn't wait until May for it to come out in the States, so I ordered a copy from Amazon in the UK and didn't bat an eyelash at the fact that shipping cost as much as the book (and for that matter, when was the last time I had paid for a new first edition hardcover book? I always wait for the paperback). I needed to read this.

You see, I have my own GH. He decided to run away in December, and the pain is still very fresh and real for me. Like a true Gypsy Husband, it isn't a clean break, but rather a "let's stay friends, and if we do I don't have to feel guilty over hurting you and leaving you." I don't have a Dr. R in my life anymore - mine was left in San Francisco when I moved away, and since she was still a student, I couldn't stay in contact with her - and I need someone who understands this. Someone who understands my past because she has been through it too, and is still going through it, and comes from the same mindset.

This isn't a pity party memoir or a gross tell-all. There is no sordidness here, no begging for sympathy or acceptance, and certainly no lofty "I'm better than you because I'm f%*ked up, man, but I ended up making bank off it" like you see so often now in books. Forrest is so genuine and honest in relating this part of her life to us that it's like sitting across a tiny cafe table from her and trading stories. She doesn't expect anything from us, she would just like to share how Dr. R and GH changed her life, how they profoundly affected her, and how there is always hope, as lame as that sounds. It's just something that was spilling out of her anyway, and writing out her thoughts was the best way to organize such complex feelings and finally tame them so that she could move on.

Dealing with my GH won't magically change now that this book is finished. It will still be hard; I still won't be able to hear his songs, or look at his pictures or videos, and my heart will still lurch painfully when I see his name and face on Facebook, just a click away but on the edge of the universe for all that it matters now. But I know that I can get over this because Emma could and did. She has taken what she felt, and what I now feel, and has put them down and immortalized these feelings far better than I ever could, which humbles me as a writer but makes me eternally grateful as a struggling human being.

Thank you, Emma.(less)

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Jun 14, 2011 Naomi Young rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 2011

An uneven but ultimately satisfying book, this is hard to classify. It certainly made the commute and the laundry fly by. It's part Valley of the Dolls with a cast of thinly-disguised celebrities behaving in irrational and self-centered ways. It's a memoir of madness and a love-letter to a psychiatrist that reminds me of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. And there's an interesting spiritual/religious aspect as well. I have a feeling that the print version of this uses typographical tricks to c...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Katia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-memoir, non-fiction

I read this absorbing, at times off-kilter memoir in one day. I had no previous with Emma Forrest as an author, nor did I know which famous actor was the man who broke her heart and was the impetus for much of this book (for the record it's Colin Farrell, who's apparently cries during sex - ew). I'm glad I didn't Google this before/during reading, because by not knowing it was easier to see this purely as the demise of a relationship, not the self-absorbed, name-dropping mess so many people seem...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoirs

Your Voice in my Head is a memoir by Emma Forrest who suffers from bipolar disease. Forrest has been a journalist, a novelist, and a screenwriter. The voice in her head is that of her therapist Dr R who died unexpectedly. Dr R was a stabling influence in Forrest's life and she only found out about his death when she called to make an appointment during a troubling period in her life.

The book is honest and brutal as she discusses her suicidial tendancies and self mutilation. Despite this, it is...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Valentina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh Lordy. This book should be retitled: Your Voice In My Head: a Humblebrag in 224 pages.

Allow me to paraphrase...
I am so messed up, it almost obscures how precocious and brilliant I am. I am full of self-loathing and body image issues in spite of being a beautiful, fashionable waif. I have terrible taste in men - the movie stars, über talented writers, and poetic souls i date are all gorgeous (and tall!) but totally wrong for me. My amazing, eccentric, perfect family are stuck with me and my m...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Penny rated it 5 of 5 stars

I devoured this book from beginning to end. Before reading this I knew nothing about Emma Forrest. I didn't know that she wrote a column for The Sunday Times when she was only a teenager or that she had a high profile relationship with a famous actor that left her broken hearted. I knew nothing of these things and yet I was so immersed in reading about her life that I found myself googling things to see if I could figure out who "Gypsy Husband" was, or even "Loom" or "Christopher" or "Simon" (no...more

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