Listen to a sample
A Place for Everything
- Author
- Anna Wilson
- Narrator
- Rachel Bavidge
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 9 July 2020
- Run Time
- 10 hours 53 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
- Genre
- Memoirs
What to expect
A searing account of a mother’s late-diagnosis of autism – and its reaching effects on a whole family.
‘[A] vividly told and profoundly affecting memoir’ The Bookseller
‘A brilliant, searing account and I defy anyone not to be gripped by it.’ Sally Magnusson
Anna grew up in a house that was loving, even if her mum was ‘a little eccentric’. They knew to keep things clean, to stay quiet, and to look the other way when things started to get ‘a bit much for your mum’.
It’s only when her mother reaches her 70s, and Anna has a family of her own, that the cracks really start to appear. More manic. More irrational. More detached from the world. And when her father, the man who has calmed and cajoled her mother through her entire life becomes unwell, the whole world turns upside down.
This is a story of a life lived with undiagnosed autism, about the person behind the disorder, those big unspoken family truths, and what it means to care for our parents in their final years.
Critics Review
-
‘[A] vividly told and profoundly affecting memoir’ The Bookseller
‘A brilliant, searing account and I defy anyone not to be gripped by it.’ Sally Magnusson
'I read A Place for Everything with my heart in my mouth, gripped by this howl of anguish about loving someone you cannot help. This is both a love story and a horror story; an unforgettable account of a daughter going into battle to try to save her mother and father, and the toll it took. Painful, raw and with an honesty that rings clear as a bell. This is a beautiful book and an important one.' Catherine Simpson, author of When I Had a Little Sister
‘You don’t have to have a connection to autism to find much to – enjoy perhaps isn’t the right word – that you can relate to in this book because it’s largely about the business of caring for your elderly parents when you are a woman who might have a whole shedload of other responsibilities.’ Jane Garvey, Woman’s Hour.
‘The last decade of life is the new frontier for the diagnosis of autism – brought home to us in this captivating story.’ Professor Tony Attwood, clinical psychologist
‘A very moving read’ My Weekly
‘In this extraordinary memoir Anna tells the story of what it was like for her and her sister to be raised by a woman struggling with undiagnosed high-functioning autism. This is an important story filled with compassion, and one that I hope will be read by anyone who has endured a difficult relationship with either parent.’ Isabel Losada, author of The Joyful Environmentalist
‘[Anna]’s book is one of the best memoirs I've read in a long time. I loved it. It's raw, honest, gripping . . . and very moving. The book will be helpful for people who have family members with undiagnosed autism.’ James Cook, author of In Her Room – How Music Helped Me Connect with my Autistic Daughter
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Anna Wilson
- Narrator
- Rachel Bavidge
- Duration
- 10 hours 53 minutes
- Release Date
- 9 July 2020
- ISBN
- 9780008342562
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Memoirs
Synopsis
‘Painful, raw and with an honesty that rings clear as a bell’ Catherine Simpson, author of When I Had a Little Sister A searing account of a mother’s late-diagnosis of autism – and its reaching effects on a whole family. ‘[A] vividly told and profoundly affecting memoir’ The Bookseller ‘A brilliant, searing account and I defy anyone not to be gripped by it.’ Sally Magnusson Anna grew up in a house that was loving, even if her mum was ‘a little eccentric’. They knew to keep things clean, to stay quiet, and to look the other way when things started to get ‘a bit much for your mum’. It’s only when her mother reaches her 70s, and Anna has a family of her own, that the cracks really start to appear. More manic. More irrational. More detached from the world. And when her father, the man who has calmed and cajoled her mother through her entire life becomes unwell, the whole world turns upside down. This is a story of a life lived with undiagnosed autism, about the person behind the disorder, those big unspoken family truths, and what it means to care for our parents in their final years.
About xigxag and the x-book®
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
Our x-book® format is the only fully integrated listen-and-read experience available. See the text on screen as you listen, look up words, take notes, search within the book, and share quotes. It is especially useful for accessibility, language learning, and getting more from non-fiction. Look for the purple x-book® ribbon on the cover, or filter your search by "x-book" to find them.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.