Outside, the Sky is Blue

''A bracing, heart-lifting read. Patterson is a superb writer'' Observer

OUTSIDE, THE SKY IS BLUE is a heart-breaking yet also truly joyful and wise memoir of growing up, of dealing with mental health and illness, and of what it means to be part of a family that, despite everything, is able to laugh and to love.

''A memoir about the loss of faith and hope. The book journeys to dark places but it''s too honest and well written to be dispiriting. She perseveres in her quest to understand'' Guardian

When Christina Patterson''s brother Tom died suddenly, she faced the harrowing task of clearing out his house. Tom had always been the one who held on to the family treasures and memories, but now Christina had to sift through boxes of letters, photos and belongings, not just of Tom''s, but of their parents and their older sister, Caroline.

The contents of those boxes tell the story of a young couple who decide to swap a glamorous diplomatic life in Rome for a housing estate in Surrey. But their new suburban, happy life, is increasingly disrupted by Caroline''s erratic behaviour. As she is diagnosed with schizophrenia, Tom seeks solace in sport and Christina in a youth club where she hopes to meet boys, but finds God instead. It doesn''t help her in her quest for romance.

''A hymn to optimism, and a beacon of unflagging hope'' iPaper

''This is a joyful book. Despite the sorrows, there is a determined joy to this tale, a pattern of finding the good despite the bad, of turning to face the sun so the shadows fall behind'' Dr Kathryn Mannix

''She writes beautifully - crisp, yet emotional and page-turning. For me, it is something about her clarity and brutal honesty in describing both heartbreak and heart bursting life and love. In the end it is only the love that matters'' Julia Samuel, author of Grief Works