The Book of the Failed Jumper: New Volume of “Prose and Mindful Nonsense” Chronicles When RD France lay in a London hospital bed with a broken back, shattered right ankle and broken left heal, he couldn’t believe that he was still alive after nine separate attempts to kill himself. This time his method of choice was jumping into the River Thames, yet the lure of life continued to prove its ability to trump death.
It was supposed to be the end of a life pained by mental illness, deafness and a lack of suicide management. But France was alive, and his decision to write down his thoughts and feelings in those immediate days after his attempt have been transposed into a powerful and thought-provoking new book.
‘The Book of the Failed Jumper’ is, as the author puts it, chock full of “prose and mindful nonsense” that spans his thoughts about life, his dreams of death, the gut-rotting pain of living through suicide and the slightly joyful hallucinations at the hands of constant morphine. Above all, it’s a testament to the strength of the human condition and a perspective on life that few will ever experience.
“I started suffering from mental health issues at the age of twenty-three, was diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder in 2000 and began aggressive courses of treatment,” explains France. “However, the rollercoaster of emotions I was forced to live on and the imprisonment I felt at life’s rock-bottom pushed me to try and kill myself nine times. These stories are from the immediate aftermath of my last attempt, and I don’t think there’s any other memoir on the market that is quite this raw.”
Continuing, “I take readers into the darkness, steering them through the odd moments of light and give them a stark insight into the medical world that constantly tries to keep mental illness victims alive and well. I hope it helps readers see things from a new perspective, appreciate their own lives and recognize that we’re not all on an evil keel. Believe it or not, despite my past suicide attempts, I’m happier now than anyone could wish to be.”
‘The Book of the Failed Jumper’ is available in limited runs through the author, please contact him for more information.
France is also interested in connecting with any literary agents interested in promoting such a unique, helpful and disruptive book.
About the Author:
Despite his profound deafness, the author has grown up in a world of disjoined communications, living in a hearing and a deaf world. This led to a crisis of identity when he was 23 struggling to accept the concept of his own deafness. This led to a downward spiral of depression and eventually being diagnosed with having a bi-polar condition. In spite of this, he has worked as a printer, graphic designer, photographer, filmmaker and musician. He continues to write and is currently working on two novels scheduled for release in 2017.
Thoughts of 9 Failed Suicide Attempts
Bravely written by RD France, ‘The Book of the Failed Jumper’ takes readers to a bed in King’s College Hospital, as the author recovers from what would be his ninth suicide attempt – potential escapes from a life defined by profound deafness and mental illness. Taking readers through his inner-most thoughts of life, adversity and the vivid realities of morphine, France’s book is one of the few to chronicle the immediate aftermath of such a poignant life event.
Contact:
R D France
Email: deafnoiseuk@gmail.com
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