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A review by amber_ray
The Outrun by Amy Liptrot
5.0
It’s taken me quite a while to write a review for ’The Outrun', mostly because I’ve still been soaking this one in. It’s funny, because I don’t really read memoirs too often and if you told me I had to read a book about nature I’d probably just start snoring on the spot. But what Amy Liptrot has done is combine the two genres in a profound and visceral way that I didn’t expect - and I loved!
The author provides a raw account of her struggles with alcoholism after moving to London, but the real emphasis is on her recovery and return to her native Orkney. At once bleak, beautiful and isolated, she parallels her experiences in nature with her heartbreaking struggles to stay sober and understand herself.
Liptrot counts rare Corncrakes, she tracks the stars and swims in icy waters, hikes in howling winds and encounters otters. She engages with nature and all of its extremes whole-heartedly, always counterpointing her experiences with her inner world of addiction. All of this is so brilliantly, thrillingly done - sometimes bleak but ultimately full of hope.
I look forward to more from Amy Liptrot, because if I’ve learned anything from ‘The Outrun,’ it’s that Amy is not only incredibly brave and strong, she’s also an absolutely stunning writer.
The author provides a raw account of her struggles with alcoholism after moving to London, but the real emphasis is on her recovery and return to her native Orkney. At once bleak, beautiful and isolated, she parallels her experiences in nature with her heartbreaking struggles to stay sober and understand herself.
Liptrot counts rare Corncrakes, she tracks the stars and swims in icy waters, hikes in howling winds and encounters otters. She engages with nature and all of its extremes whole-heartedly, always counterpointing her experiences with her inner world of addiction. All of this is so brilliantly, thrillingly done - sometimes bleak but ultimately full of hope.
I look forward to more from Amy Liptrot, because if I’ve learned anything from ‘The Outrun,’ it’s that Amy is not only incredibly brave and strong, she’s also an absolutely stunning writer.