A page-turning account of a real girlhood with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Aged four, Lily Bailey had an imaginary friend. A sinister one. By the age of 13, Lily had killed someone with a thought and spread untold disease. Only by performing secret routines could she correct her wrongdoing. But it was never enough.
She had a severe case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and it came with a bizarre twist.
This story lights up the workings of the mind like Mark Haddon or Matt Haig.
Anyone who wants to know about OCD, and how to fight back, should read this book. Immerse yourself in a new world.
REVIEWS
'Extremely compelling'
- The Guardian
'Remarkable... She writes with literary poise and a gift for mordant observation and self-deprecating humour that belie her youth. I hope this book finds a wide readership. It will offer solace to OCD sufferers... for other readers, it will provide a harrowing sense of what many OCD sufferers have to endure just to get through the day.'
- Scott Stossel, Washington Post
'Model and journalist Bailey offers an authentic and stunning account of her struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in this beautifully-rendered memoir.'
- Publishers Weekly
'Often as chilling as Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, but also full of so much inner and external turbulence that it reminded me at times of The Bourne Identity and Memento.'
- Will Black, Huffpost UK
'A harrowingly honest memoir of profound psychological struggle. In her courageous book, the author offers compelling insight into the pain and destructive power of OCD as well as the resilience of a young woman determined to beat the odds.'
- Kirkus Reviews
'A fascinating read. It's brilliantly written; I felt inside your head'
- Ray D'Arcy Show, RTE Radio 1
'Because We Are Bad is an emotional, challenging read. Lily takes us deep into the heart of the illness but she is also a deft writer, and even the darkest moments are peppered with wit and wry observations.'
- James Lloyd, OCD-UK
'I laughed, I cried. I could not put this book down. Intensely moving with flashes of black humour, Because We Are Bad is the compelling account of one young woman's experience of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.'
- Rosanna Greenstreet, freelance journalist
'It's a fascinating read... Buy the book! Buy the book!'
- Jo Good, BBC Radio London
