Some Of Us Just Fall is a unique book by a gifted writer, on how people with genetic illness can use nature to feel better. This book traces a remarkable journey through illness – from misdiagnosis to wild swimming in the Lake District.
Polly examines her genetic inheritance, her place in the natural world future in her body. After not getting results from doctors or her own body, she finally found some relief in nature.
The Lake District is famous for its rain. The wettest inhabited valley in England lies only 10 miles over the fells from my home. This summer, while most of England dessicated under drought conditions, we dissolved in rain. This is weather pushed to the extremes of itself.
It’s a book more on living with and accepting certain illnesses. After years of unexplained health issues, the author’s understanding of her body had become disjointed, until she began to piece the history (fractures, dislocations, exhaustion and medical disregard) when finally diagnosed with two chronic conditions in her 30s.
A stunning book about chronic illness that will stay with you. It’s a rallying cry for society to stand up for those too exhausted from struggling to be believed, by the medical establishment. Catherine Renton
Defiant and dazzling! I was submerged in Atkin’s life and its characters: the grey wagtail, her partner waiting in the shade of a tree, the nurses, the heron by the river. By sharing her relationship with water, she has changed mine. Her prose is a beautiful gift. Freya Bromley
About the Author
Polly Atkin is an award-winning writer and poet who lives in the Cumbrian town where Wordsworth lived (she wrote a biography on his sister’s later life and illness). She co-founded the Open Mountain Initiative, which seeks to centre voices on the margins for outdoor, mountain and nature writing.
