About The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood
She has a loving marriage. But she has no friends.
Everyone knows her name. But no one will speak to her now.
Cornelia Blackwood has unravelled once before. Can she stop it from happening again?
From a supremely talented storyteller, The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood is a powerful novel of motherhood, loss and loneliness and how we can make damaging choices when pushed to our emotional edge. A paperback bestseller with her debut novel, The Things We Never Said, and nominated for an RNA Award in 2014, Susan Elliot Wright has written a truly important novel that explores the dark depths of psychosis with honesty and sensitivity.
My review of The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood
The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood is a story about motherhood. One that is not often told. The darker side. From the moment I met Leah (Cornelia) I instantly connected to her character and her story. I found myself fully immersed in what had happened to her and what was yet to come.
This is a beautifully written story. We move backwards and forwards in time with ease. We learn about how Leah meets her husband and the path that then leads to now. We read her unravelling, and although uncomfortable reading, it is beautifully told.
This is a tale about motherhood and about postpartum psychosis. A mental
health illness that I knew very little about. It was only after reading this book that I read more about this on the NHS website. Leah's story highlights this mental health illness and this I feel can only be a good thing. This is what lies at the core of the story, a woman who was at risk and a woman who was ultimately let down by everyone.
This is a beautifully dark and consuming read. It's powerful, it's moving, it made my heart heave. It is also such a very brave book in tackling such a sensitive subject. I also feel that this is a book for women and for mothers, no matter what their past experience of motherhood or birth. Sometimes their stories are not heard and this book gives them a voice.
The last few lines will haunt me forever, as will this beautifully sad and poignant story about motherhood and loss. Written with sensitivity and warmth and compassion.
With thanks to the publisher and Becky McCarthy for the Advanced Reader Copy
The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood is published by Simon & Schuster UK as a Paperback Original on 21 Feb.
This does sound like an important read, great review.
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