How Nature Helped a Woman with Chronic Illness

Land Beneath the Waves is a moving and honest memoir of a nature writer, who lives with chronic illness. In this book he looks at how our relationship with the natural world affects us.

She begins by researching the history of her local landscape and wildlife, realising her affinity with the wild, as a way to cope, growing up with a mother who also had a debilitating chronic illness.

Now in her 40s (and struggling with mental and physical health herself), the author revisits her childhood to trace the natural world on her life.

And as she grapples with revelations from the past, the boundaries between self and land become increasingly porous, and the lure of the wetlands around her home, threaten to engulf her.

Can Nic find the strength to face the waves of chronic illness (past and present) and learn to reach for steady ground?

This book inspires us to develop a meaningful bond with our local natural spaces and landscapes, illuminating a hopeful path towards a better future for human and non-human life. Benedict Macdonald

A deeply honest account of a life blighted by ill-health. Yet redeemed by a profound connection with nature. A delight to read. Stephen Moss

A brutally honest story that demonstrates why nature keeps us afloat. Her debut is an unstoppable tide, washing over the reader with pain, but always with joy and kindness. Jack Wallington