Kit de Waal, the internationally bestselling author known for her novel My Name Is Leon, has shared how reading rescued her from a severe mental health crisis. The Birmingham-born writer described herself as being just months away from a serious breakdown before a casual suggestion from a colleague changed the trajectory of her life.
A turning point in mental health
De Waal left her family home in Birmingham at the age of 16. Her early adulthood was marked by instability, including struggles with drug use and heavy drinking. She stated that the deaths of friends from heroin overdoses forced her to confront the direction her life was taking.
By the time she was 21, her mental health had deteriorated significantly. She returned to live with her family and secured employment with the Crown Prosecution Service. During a meeting at work, a solicitor noticed her yawning and suggested that reading might help with her insomnia.
At the time, de Waal had no habit of reading and did not particularly enjoy books. The solicitor provided a list of ten novels, which included War and Peace and Madame Bovary. This intervention proved to be a pivotal moment. She found that the world of imagination offered a refuge from her turbulent experiences.
From poverty to published author
Born to an Irish mother and a Caribbean father, de Waal grew up in Moseley, Birmingham, during a period when mixed-race families were uncommon. She described her childhood as being defined by poverty and the experience of being an outsider. These themes of difference, hunger, and the impact of racism later became central to her writing.
Despite her early struggles, she developed a lifelong passion for literature. She initially believed she could write a novel in a matter of months. However, the process took more than a decade of rejection and learning the craft before she achieved publication.
Her breakthrough came with My Name Is Leon, a story about a young boy in the care system growing up in 1980s Birmingham. The book became an international bestseller. Sir Lenny Henry, who narrated the audiobook, later helped bring the story to the screen for the BBC.
De Waal remains a strong advocate for reading in all its forms, including audiobooks. She credits the habit with not only aiding her recovery but also providing the foundation for her career. Her advice to aspiring writers is to focus on the stories they care about most.
Source: BBC
