On paper, things looked good for Mark Rice-Oxley: wife, children, fulfilling job. But then, at his 40th birthday party, his whole world crumbled as he succumbed to depression... How many men do you know who have been through periods when their lives haven't seemed right? How badly askew were things for them? Many men suffer from depression yet it is still a subject that is taboo. Men often don't visit the doctor, or they don't want to face up to feelings of weakness and vulnerability. By telling his story, Mark Rice-Oxley hopes it will enable others to tell theirs. In this intensely moving memoir he retraces the months of his utmost despair, revisiting a landscape from which at times he felt he would never escape. Written with lyricism and poignancy, Mark captures the visceral nature of this most debilitating of illnesses with a frightening clarity, while at the same time offering a sympathetic and dispassionate view of what is happening, and perhaps why. This is not a self-help book but a memoir that is brimful of experience, understanding and hope for all those who read it. It is above all honest, touching and surprisingly optimistic.
Underneath the Lemon Tree
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So startling, so inspiring (Chris Cleave Twitter )
An ode to joy lost and found . . . A lyrical account of his descent into, and gradual emergence from, the horrors of clinical depression . . . "What did I have to be depressed about?" he asks. His book is a quest to find the answer (Cherrill Hicks Daily Telegraph )
A bruised, bracing memoir (Christopher Bray Financial Times )
With candour for himself and compassion for others, Rice-Oxley becomes his own case study (Iain Finlayson The Times )
An ode to joy lost and found . . . A lyrical account of his descent into, and gradual emergence from, the horrors of clinical depression . . . "What did I have to be depressed about?" he asks. His book is a quest to find the answer (Cherrill Hicks Daily Telegraph )
A bruised, bracing memoir (Christopher Bray Financial Times )
With candour for himself and compassion for others, Rice-Oxley becomes his own case study (Iain Finlayson The Times )
Book Description
A moving and spellbinding memoir of depression by Guardian journalist Mark Rice-Oxley
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By Anna
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Mark Rice-Oxley's book really stands out amongst the myriad depression memoirs currently in the market - as deeply moving as his elegant, honest descriptions of his despair at the peak of his depression are, what really shines is his clear intelligence and practicality on the road to recovery, and his desperate desire to get better. As someone who has battled with depression, with a pang I recognised myself in so many passages of what the author describes, and as much as it ached to read it must have hurt so much more to write. A brilliantly written, inspiring and important book.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Keatsbabe
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Guardian journalist Mark Rice-Oxley seemed to have, on the face of it, a great life. Work, family, friends. However, in this brutally honest book he takes us through the 'breakdown' he experienced and his depressive illness stage by stage and we appreciate how mental illness can literally strike anyone at any time - even when you seem to have it all. Much of what he says reflects my own experience of depression and anxiety - the lethargy, hopelessness, fear and horror of it all - but it really doesn't matter whether you have 'been there' at all. It is written in a lyrical tone that oozes love for his parents, siblings, wife and children and highlights how vital it is to be open about the illness to get the support you desperately need to recover. He is writing not just for himself but to raise awareness and try and do what he can to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues.
He also highlights how difficult it must be for those, unlike him (and me), who have no-one just to be there. No-one has expressed more eloquently how it feels to be mentally ill in comparison to being physically ill and how much more difficult it is to talk about depression than it is to talk about heart disease or cancer. It has taken over from the 'c' word as the new taboo. Everyone should read this. Mental illness can happen to anyone. Mark Rice-Oxley is the living proof.
He also highlights how difficult it must be for those, unlike him (and me), who have no-one just to be there. No-one has expressed more eloquently how it feels to be mentally ill in comparison to being physically ill and how much more difficult it is to talk about depression than it is to talk about heart disease or cancer. It has taken over from the 'c' word as the new taboo. Everyone should read this. Mental illness can happen to anyone. Mark Rice-Oxley is the living proof.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By withwill
Format:Paperback
This is a fantastic book and incredibly helpful. It's funny,moving and brave; full of honest insight.
I would imagine anyone with depression would benefit from reading this book (I read it in conjunction with Tim Cantopher's excellent 'Depressive illness:curse of the strong'. Both have helped me to have some hope, reassure me that I am not alone with my illness and that what I am experiencing is felt by many many others.
This book helps to challenge stereotypes and stigma, reminding us that telling others is the best way to help ourselves and help others.
It describes the true horror of depression, the sinking loneliness, the dark moments of despair, the relentless feelings of loss. Any yet it also tells us that people can and do recover from depression, and for that I am deeply thankful to Mark Rice Oxley.
I would imagine anyone with depression would benefit from reading this book (I read it in conjunction with Tim Cantopher's excellent 'Depressive illness:curse of the strong'. Both have helped me to have some hope, reassure me that I am not alone with my illness and that what I am experiencing is felt by many many others.
This book helps to challenge stereotypes and stigma, reminding us that telling others is the best way to help ourselves and help others.
It describes the true horror of depression, the sinking loneliness, the dark moments of despair, the relentless feelings of loss. Any yet it also tells us that people can and do recover from depression, and for that I am deeply thankful to Mark Rice Oxley.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By timv
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Mark has exposed his soul to the reader with clear and concise English. I heard him talking about his depression on Radio 2 and ordered the book as soon as I got home. Also in a slow recovery from depression, I have flagged up dozens of pages in his book which have a direct read across for me. I learned a lot from his book and, when reading, you can tell that Mark learned a lot about himself through the struggle to recovery. A must read for people with depression and for people who's friends and family have depression. Tim
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Toni
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have just finished reading this book, which is a great personal achievement in itself. As happened to the author, Mark Rice-Oxley, when my "thing" descended I lost the ability to read, to listen to music, to be with people, to eat, sleep, in fact any motivation to enjoy anything about life at all. Mark manages to capture the pain, internal loneliness and bleakness of this cruel and debilitating illness, whilst maintaining the optimism that it will not last forever. It is not a melancholy book; there is plenty of humour and much to learn from it. I am glad the book came along at this point in my recovery, where I am beginning to accept and deal with my own "thing". Although everybody's experience of depression is different, I found myself identifying with so many of Mark's words, and also with his comments on the stigma surrounding mental illness. I have found this book informative, personally helpful, and a good read. Now, where did I put that recipe for low-calorie cheesecake!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Karen
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I purchased the book to understand more about depression. I now have a greater awareness of what true depression is and have much more empathy for sufferers. It is a very well written documentation of one man's journey through the illness to recovery. It also introduced me to some very interesting approaches to dealing with certain aspects of the condition that may benefit sufferers and non sufferers alike. This book points a sobering finger at perhaps how susceptible we all are in our fast paced, achievement-driven lives and how indiscriminate depression is.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Black Dog
Format:Paperback
To say I enjoyed this, excellent, book might be a step too far. I found the author's frank account of the descent, anxiety and internal wrestling struck too many chords with parts of my own experience for this to be a truly comfortable read. Fortunately this is counter balanced with the easy charm and charisma of the writing.
This book serves as a reminder that this disease doesn't need a set of obviously traumatic antecedents, doesn't care that you objectively 'have it all'. It can still, if it chooses to, grab you, drag you into a dark alley and give you proper hiding.
But also, vitally, that it IS possible to climb out of the pit.
This book serves as a reminder that this disease doesn't need a set of obviously traumatic antecedents, doesn't care that you objectively 'have it all'. It can still, if it chooses to, grab you, drag you into a dark alley and give you proper hiding.
But also, vitally, that it IS possible to climb out of the pit.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hope in recovery from depression
brilliant poignant book whether you are a sufferer or know someone who is.. explode the myth about depression .. made me smile in the end..
Published 6 days ago by MS R CAMPBELL
5.0 out of 5 stars
Underneath the lemon tree: a memoir of depression and recovery
I found this a long read, but it is good, and does have a lot in common for people who suffer depression and anxiety, and it's good to know there is a light at the end of the... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Jeanine frost
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written
We read to know we are not alone and Mark Rice Oxley's descriptions of his "nervous breakdown" will be familiar to anyone who has had the misfortune to feel as if they are... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Weewumman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good read
I had read a short Article written by Mark Rice-Oxley,In psychologies magazine which I found so Interesting and it really touched me,so I ordered his book... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Fiona
3.0 out of 5 stars
ok
i bought this book as i am coming out of depression myself and i thought this book would be a way to undertand other peoples point of view but i felt it was not what i thought ,... Read more
Published 5 months ago by cabbage
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really good read
I really enjoyed "underneath the lemon tree" i could relate to lots of stuff,having bouts of depression myself. If you suffer with depression you should give this book a try.
Published 5 months ago by marmarc40
1.0 out of 5 stars
Poor prose and offers nothing to a sufferer of "depression".
I don't get how the author was a journalist, the writing is awful. Its child-like and narcissistic in nature. It reads like a bunch of diary entries cobbled together. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Bobby Dazzler
5.0 out of 5 stars
An insider's view from a professional communicator.
A gently relaxing cover if you are beyond tears. Entertaining if you can only manage the lighter autobiographic chapters. Comforting when you find out that you are not on your own. Read more
Published 6 months ago by JamesGW
5.0 out of 5 stars
A bitter memory!
I could identify so well with some of the things that the author went through during his time of depression. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Redfox
5.0 out of 5 stars
men suffer from anxiety & depression too
Great to read a man's version of anxiety & depression. Brave & inspiring men are human too, males should not feel they have to suffer in silence. Read more
Published 7 months ago by pat
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