Seconds to Snap: One Explosive Day. A Family Destroyed. My Descent into Anorexia.

by Tina McGuff

"I can tell you exactly the day it all went wrong—the day my mum attacked my dad with a kitchen knife. In those few, short seconds, a black hole opened up in my life and I fell right in."

Tina McGuff’s life was perfect – or so she thought. Living in Dundee with her devoted parents and three younger sisters, she was a happy, healthy, and confident 13-year-old. But all that changed in one horrifying act of revenge, and Tina’s world collapsed overnight. Terrified, lost, and confused, she turned to the one thing she thought she could control—food. And so began the biggest fight of her life. Tina’s life-or-death struggle with anorexia is told with devastating honesty in this extraordinary account of a girl at war with herself. Through her years in and out of psychiatric wards, Tina takes us to some of the darkest places of the mind. But in the end her courage, conviction, and sheer determination win out. It took Tina seconds to snap and a lifetime to recover—but today, as a passionate campaigner for mental health, she is living proof that there is always a reason to hope that one day, things will get better.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mental Illness, Mental Health

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2015

Reviews

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unflinchingly honest account of Tina's experiences of mental health, and how trauma experienced in childhood impacted her teenage years and beyond. I've been honoured to meet her in person, and her honesty, empathy and understanding shine out.

[Laura Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

An honest, first person narrative from a woman who suffered from an eating disorder for years before winning her battle and becoming an amazing woman. I also found it interesting that she lived in Scotland rather than the US.

[Dani · Rating 1 out of 5]

Her story starts well and though the writing is an easy read it remained interesting, the illness part and her honesty about what she went through and what she did are touching BUT then comes the after. Honestly. It was so weird how her writing went from honest and to the point into a wild Scottish bar talk. It’s sad to see the whole kids thing ruin what was meant to be promising future in flying but it’s expected with her past.

[Carrie Spooner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book along the same lines as others I have recently read although this one focuses on one persons whole life and not just the illness which was really insightful. An uplifting and emotional story that documents the life struggles that lead to a serious of unavoidable events. I really liked the way this was written and it was very honest which appealed to me.

[Anna Findlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was reallll! I have had my eating issues in the past and I found really encouraging to see the light and the end of the tunnel! Greta read! Would seriously recommend it to anyone who is, or knows someone going through issues with eating

[Supernova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of crude language.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't heard of this before spotting it in a charity shop, but decided to give it a go. I enjoy illness narratives as a genre, and hadn't read much about anorexia before this - only Marya Hornbacher's Wasted, which I found far more touching and harrowing. Seconds to Snap is certainly readable, but I did find that some parts of it were overwritten. Regardless, it is a very honest account of an awful illness.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very, very hard to read.

I too have suffered from a form of disordered eating and whilst nowhere near as extreme as Tina's experiences, it shows just how easy it is to fall into the grips of Anorexia. This story showed Tina's descent into very dangerous territory and there were some disturbing, shocking descriptions which made me blanch and feel total sadness at the same time. This is a book all parents should read.

I rated it four stars rather than five purely because of the difficult reading. Don't get me wrong, I knew this wasn't going to contain bunny rabbits and rays of sunshine - eating disorders aren't there to entertain - but to call this 'sensational' and 'stunning' would be disrespectful for such real experiences Tina endured. Her story was told well and I am thrilled that she has recovered.

[Lynn Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is difficult to find the right words to review this book.
An honest, compelling and captivating book. An easy read (writing style) but difficult read (content). Tina shows bravery, courage, strength and determination, even through the darkest parts of her journey. As do her family.
This is the kind of book that gets under your skin, you will find yourself thinking about it when your are not reading it, or once you have finished it.

[Janaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt very raw, probably one of the most explicit books about anorexia I have ever read. Hard read but worth it

[Amber Mahony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courage shared

I really 'enjoyed' reading this book. A courageous journey and poignant in its redeeming achievements and relationships in spite of it all.