HarperCollins India is delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of
THAT BEAUTIFUL ELSEWHERE
by Scherezade Siobhan
Paperback | 240 pp | Rs 499
Available wherever books are sold | Releasing 15 October 2023
” A brilliant, deeply moving read.”
– Varun Grover
“More therapeutic experience than book, Scherezade Siobhan fashions out of her own life lessons and those of her clients, a narrative that is as much looking glass as microscope, as much prism as spotlight.”
– Jerry Pinto
“Scherezade Siobhan has written a path breaking book. Evocative, brave and candid… Scherezade weaves the complex strands of her lived experiences with sharp insights and a tender wisdom.”
– Natasha Badhwar
About the Book
Practicing psychiatrist Scherezade Siobhan combines her vast knowledge of the human mind with her work experience to create this collection of essays. Each one of these is a story about real people and the challenges they face – from living with bipolar disorder to the aftershocks of abuse.
Weaving these vignettes together, with sensitivity and understanding, the author reveals the many hurdles we face as individuals and as a community – be it the unique structure of the average Indian family and the space it creates for oppression; ideas of masculinity that restrict the articulation of pain, or the increasingly complex nature of modern relationships.
Through these pages, the author reflects on her own trauma, looking to create a book that will double as a sanctuary – where the reader may find the security and resources needed to learn more about themselves. Ultimately, these journeys towards better mental health highlight the resilience of the human mind, promising a brighter path to recovery.
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Talking about the book, Scherezade Siobhan says, ‘That Beautiful Elsewhere” is a psychotherapist’s memoir that can be summarised as a wounded healer’s remembrance. It is written for those who are not the sum of their parts and are learning to be okay with being a little scattered, a little jagged. The book journeys through my own trials with clinical depression while also piecing together a mosaic of therapeutic encounters that shine a light on both the ache and the resilience of healing. It is a book that is for everyone who either lives with or knows and cares about someone who lives with a mental health condition/illness. It addresses issues specific to the Indian sociocultural landscape when it comes to mental wellness. From familial gaslighting normalized as “tough love” to accounting for how class and caste contribute to anxiety and trauma, in the truest sense, it is a form of unveiling through notes about sporadic interactions, unforgettable anecdotes, uphill encounters and snippets of useful research woven with the struggles and successes of surviving on our own terms in this world.’
Prerna Gill, Commissioning Editor at HarperCollins India, adds ‘Whether you are on a personal journey towards better mental health or looking to understand the world around you in a more meaningful way, this book is unmissable. With artful prose and moving real-life stories, That Beautiful Elsewhere deserves to be read, re-read and treasured.’
About the Author
Scherezade Siobhan is an award-winning writer, psychologist, educator and a community organizer who founded Qureist — a therapeutic space for psychosocial wellness. Her work and words have been featured in Medium, Berfrois, Quint, Vice, HuffPost, Feministing, Jubilat, DIAGRAM, The London Magazine, Indian Express, TOI, Midday among others. She is the author of “Bone Tongue” (Thought Catalog Books, 2015), “Father, Husband” (Salopress, 2016) and “The Bluest Kali” ( Lithic Press, 2018). She was a writer-in-residence at the University of Stirling as the winner of the Charles Wallace Grant in 2022. She is a core member of Human Rights Resilience Project (HRI)’s Defender’s Wellbeing Collective which comprises 20 global leaders in the field of social development, grassroots, community, and survivor-led human rights organizations or movements and social justice activism. She has led workshops, lectures, panels, readings and programs across India, USA, UK, Europe and Hong Kong.
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For review copies, interviews, excerpts or more information, please write to: sohela.singh@harpercollins.co.in
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