How to End a Story: Collected Diaries

“I have to confess that, at first, I was a bit sceptical about this book. It’s 800 pages of her diaries from 1978 to 1998. That’s a lot of words about someone who I didn’t know huge amounts about. But I found it absolutely gripping…There are parts where she is very unsparing of herself. There are some completely embarrassing moments, yet she puts it all out there. I love how novelists in particular—the really good ones—just go to places where mere mortals like me would never go, whether it’s baring their emotions or revealing their inner lives…The moment I finished it, I wanted to read it again.” Read more...

The Best Nonfiction Books: The 2025 Baillie Gifford Prize Shortlist

Robbie Millen, Journalist