Book Review: A novel idea for healing

AND now for something completely different, quirky yet therapeutic.

Find a cure for your ailment in the form of a novel, or combination of novels.

Bibliotherapists, Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin have produced a medical handbook called, The Novel Cure, An A-Z of Literary Remedies (published by Canongate).

“When read at the right moment in your life, a novel can, quite literally, change it, and The Novel Cure is a reminder of that power,” said the authors in the introduction.

The ailments/problems are alphabetised, so it’s easy to find. There is a little blurb elaborating each ailment and then the suggestion of the book or books to read.

There is also advice on how to tackle common reading ailments, such as what to do when you feel overwhelmed by the number of books in the world, or if you have a tendency to give up halfway through.

Added to the readers’pleasure are ‘ten best’ selections such as the ten best novels to make you laugh, or the ten best novels for the vey blue.

Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin met as English Literature students at Cambridge University, where they began giving novels to each other whenever one of them seemed in need of a boost.

In 2008 they set up the bibliotherapy service at The School of Life in London, and have since been prescribing books to patients all over the world. This book is the result of 25 years of thought. It has cures for everything from being stuck in a rut, to dealing with your mother-in-law or hating your nose