Scorpions

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

My mind is full of scorpions. A cerebral itch, impossible to scratch. I know these creatures well, but they know me better. They answer to another name, this nest of scorpions, the writhing black mass that lives inside my head…

For as long as Tuppence Middleton can remember, she has struggled with obsessive thoughts and compulsions. She visualises her OCD as scorpions inhabiting her mind, something to be hidden that impacts her life daily:

  • Have I killed my cat?
  • When was the last time that person in front of me vomited?
  • How many people have touched this door handle since it was cleaned?
  • Should I tap the outside of the airplane to save my loved ones from harm?

Often used as a shorthand for tidiness or as the punchline of a joke, OCD is one of society’s most misunderstood disorders and it’s rarely spoken about with such honesty and openness.

Beautifully written, moving and often darkly funny, Tuppence recounts what it feels like to share your mind with a nest of scorpions.

© Tuppence Middleton 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

A skilful, poetic and bleakly funny account of coping with a lifelong condition
The Guardian
So fascinating!
Chris Evans
Absolutely extraordinary writing
James O'Brien
Candid and compelling, this book powerfully uncovers the raw realities of living with OCD. A must-read
Bryony Gordon
An extraordinary piece of writing. In precise, elegant language, Tuppence Middleton gives us a clear, controlled and very lucid picture of a most strange and frightening psychological condition. Brilliantly readable
Patrick McGrath
A fantastic memoir . . . Scorpions is intensely personal, yet somehow manages to be universal
John Robins
With insight and generosity, Tuppence bravely and skilfully reveals her own struggles with OCD and in doing so gives us all an essential handbook . . . there isn’t a page that won’t leave you with greater understanding and empathy
Janet Ellis
With unpretentious prose, Tuppence Middleton illuminates how devastating and all-encompassing this illness can be. Unflinchingly frank, and remarkably honest
Claire Fuller
Scorpions is about living with OCD, but it’s also about living full stop. Tuppence Middleton has written a brilliantly immersive, funny, brave, deeply human book, brimming with intelligence and creativity
Lisa Owens

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