£7.99 – £12.99
What is fear? What are we afraid of and why? And how do states of fearfulness shape our personalities, relationships, and entire societies?
“The Fear is a finely tuned, fascinating interrogation of an emotion that hijacks us all. Both intimate and psychologically rigorous, it pushes the bounds of memoir into intellectual territory.”— Lily Dunn, author of Sins of My Father
“Made up of equal parts pain, intimacy, desolation and tenderness, The Fear extracts beauty and meaning from a reckoning with great private darkness.” — Rob Doyle, author of Threshold
“Intellectually vivifying and deeply moving, The Fear is a dazzling memoir that dances between the cerebral and the tender.” — Sam Mills, author of The Fragments of my Father
“The Fear considers how trauma manifests in ways that seem too powerful to tolerate and how it can seem that emotion could be traded or outran by another equally strong emotion, like love. A brilliant look at the maze of personal history and how the wounds we carry will continue to make their journey through us, one way or another.” — Jenni Fagan, author of Luckenbooth
“A bold, beautiful and brave book; in it’s form, in the lyricism of its style and in the intensity of its interrogations.” — Tom de Freston, author of Wreck.
“Made up of equal parts pain, intimacy, desolation and tenderness, The Fear extracts beauty and meaning from a reckoning with great private darkness.”
“The Fear is a bold, beautiful and brave book; in it’s form, in the lyricism of its style and in the intensity of its interrogations. At the level of intellectual curiosity, psychological honesty and political urgency it is a text of staggering depth and variety.”
“The Fear is a finely tuned, fascinating interrogation of an emotion that hijacks us all. Both intimate and psychologically rigorous, it pushes the bounds of memoir into intellectual territory.”
“The Fear considers how trauma manifests in ways that seem too powerful to tolerate… A brilliant look at the maze of personal history and how the wounds we carry will continue to make their journey through us, one way or another.”
“The Fear is a brave book, both in its emotional openness and honesty, as well as in its complex editorial ambition, which in the hands of a lesser writer could become incoherent. Instead, Spens elegantly segues between the affecting context of her personal life, and a strand of cultural criticism which brilliantly reframes the first quarter of our current century.”
“An at times sickeningly lucid exploration of our shadow selves, a stare into heartbreak and trauma as personal and political concerns… But despite the subject matter, The Fear isn’t a depressing book. By searching in the dark places and asking herself uncomfortable questions, the author finds a strength and describes being reacquainted with forgotten parts of herself.”
“A powerfully affecting tale of devastation and survival.”
“Spens writes herself back to life – and it is a joy to behold.”
“Spens writes beautifully about self-government… the writing is so wonderfully strong about fragility… Read and heal. Never heel to another, mind you.”
“For such a cerebral book, it is also tender and humane… It is also a testament to her talent that, although she is dealing with heavy subjects, the reader feels lighter for having taken the journey with her. The Fear deserves a wide readership.”
“The philosophical approach adds heft, illuminating but never obscuring: Spens is admirably sparing with technical terms, which keeps the narrative engaging and considered.”
