The Spaces in Between

by Caroline Jones

An intelligent, thought-provoking and beautifully crafted memoir, describing a gruelling, yet ultimately inspiring 14-year-battle with mental illness, interwoven with childhood memories of growing up in Africa and Pakistan.

Caroline Jones was born in Ethiopia and spent most of her childhood in East Africa. She read French and Spanish at Oxford University and went on to make documentaries for the BBC. Now aged 39, she is happily married with two children.

Yet beneath this seemingly perfect public exterior, Caroline was in fact privately indulging in a pattern of destructive behaviour that left her exhausted, anxious, depressed and full of self-loathing - from the ages of 17 to 31, for 14 years, Caroline was suffering from an extremely widespread yet comparatively little-talked about mental illness - bulimia.

Caroline is articulate, intelligent, insightful and frank about her experiences, interweaving the journey of her illness with memories of her African childhood, her time at Oxford, her work for the BBC, her family and other relationships, making for a warm and engaging memoir. Her perceptive, retrospective approach to her illness allows her to transcend the topic of bulimia and talk more generally about self-destructive behaviour - there are lessons here which will speak to a little part of everyone.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2016

About the author

Caroline Jones was named Health Journalist of the Year in 2014 by the HMFA and was formerly Woman's Editor of the Daily Mirror.
Caroline lives in London with her husband Colin, daughter Mia, and dog Rufus.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of me does not even want to think about trying to review this book - but I must. This book deserves a review from me.
Dear Caroline! Goodness me, I wonder if you know how marvelously illuminating and inspiring this memoir would be when you wrote it.
Considering the topic and issues this memoir deals with, I am sure it will cause extremely different responses from all its readers, however, for me - this book actually is the beginning of the end. Somehow you managed to put into words half of my life that I have never been able to describe to myself let alone anyone else. Despite having never met you or even heard of you before reading this, after reading it I feel like I am somewhat connected to you. You have managed to help me in a way no one else has yet by sharing your experiences and putting into words what most of us are unable to even form into thoughts.
Thank you for sharing your story with us and I will be forever grateful for having stumbled upon your book.
To anyone who has suffered, is suffering or knows someone who has suffered or is suffering from bulimia - this is for you!

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book largely revolves around Caroline’s struggle with an eating disorder, it isn’t depressing like you might expect. Instead, the beautifully-written book is thoughtful, interesting, and ultimately hopeful.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book probably saved my life. Thank you, Caroline.

[Monika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I started reading this book with the purpose of educating myself further on the topic of eating disorders through a first person account of the experience, I was swept away by the vivid depictions of life both in Africa and England. I could feel the writer’s longing for those childhood memories in Africa and Pakistan. She had to swap the African nature and heat for a life in muddy, rainy, mossy England, eventually coming to find the wonder and joy in this too. I also found it helpful to see a different side of eating disorders - when they develop in a relatively healthy family system.

“There is a part of myself I cannot afford to enter, I don’t want to enter, a sore, anemone part of myself, so I will avoid it. And I will not let on about it, nobody need know.”

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful, moving and resonant

I read this gorgeous book in a couple of days - read it curled up on the sofa, standing up by the hob, brushing my teeth, falling asleep... I couldn't put it down, utterly compelled to find out what happened next to this most lovable and relatable narrators.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up.

[Paul Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writes with clarity and honesty about something that (hopefully) few of us will have to endure.
I read this thinking I might learn something about eating disorders - I did, and a lot more.
Found it easy to place myself right in the key moments; her background in TV coming to the fore?

[Aamina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoa I really don't know how to review this.
Powerful but in a quiet way.

there doesn't always have to be a reason why a certain thing is happening to you. You may be searching for answers your whole life and trying to justify and find a reason you feel a certain way. What I'm to say is this book finally ingrained in me that there doesn't have to be a cause for your feelings.

Caroline Jones had lived in five different African countries by the time she was eighteen. She had a wonderful childhood living in beautiful places yet she developed a secret illness; bullimia, her destructive behavior gradually grew out of control.

She corageously recounts her struggles with unflinching honesty. If you are suffering with an eating disorder or with self compassion if you feel anything like this at all please read this book. I hope it provides answers for you. I hope it allows you to start your journey of recovery too.

Will edit later. These are just my mindless thoughts for now.

[Ivan Pope]

Loved loved loved this. Beautifully and elegantly written without digging at the nasty stuff but revealing a lot of the reasoning and the problems inhernent in this disorder. But also a very human story.