"As mesmerising as The Life of Pi, and as haunting as The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." The Guardian. This extraordinary story of a miniature hero is one of the most original and unforgettable books you will ever read. "I love climbing mountains. Mountains go on and on and things keep getting better and better. There's always something to keep climbing for. Unless you fall. Falling off a mountain is worse than falling off a flat field, which is really only tripping up, isn't it? Some people would rather live on a flat field and only ever trip up. And that's alright because if you're afraid of falling, maybe you shouldn't climb mountains. But fields are boring and mountains are exciting. I'm going to be a mountaineer when I grow up." In an amazing leap of imagination, Rosemary Kay places us inside the mind of her new-born baby, Saul. With great humour, compassion and unblinking honesty, Saul demonstrates the triumph of the human spirit over appalling adversity, all the more extraordinary because that spirit is housed in the tiniest, weakest of bodies. For Saul is a premature baby, born four months early. He fits into the palm of the midwife's hand. But he arrives full of wonder, and with a fierce will to survive. His story is one of optimism, hope and courage, of supreme trust and tragic betrayal. Finely poised in the no-man's-land between life and death, every day of his life is packed with human drama and superhuman endeavour, played out in the bustling, bright, hyper-real world of the Intensive Care Unit. Trying to make sense of it all, he develops an otherworldly wisdom and insight, finding escape through imagination, and thus exploring the nature of love, of trust and forgiveness. With his endearing personality, he bravely battles all the expected complications of prematurity and several rare conditions as well. And throughout it all we are graced with his witty observations, allowed to witness the warmth of his developing relationships, and taken along on his mischievous, imaginative journeys. His story ranges from sorrow and disaster, to redemption and peace. Saul's story is now a film, This Little Life, winning many awards, including BAFTAs, RTA Awards, and a Prix Europa. "Who wants dreary? Not me. Dreary makes me frightened. I mustn't be frightened. Dreary made my chest go tight and when my chest went tight: pling pling pling All my chimes start and important numbers flash red.....She strokes my chest. I'm a good boy. The numbers start to climb back up. "That's better." She takes a breath herself. She can breathe deep, it doesn't hurt and her shoulders droop. One day I'll breathe as deep as that, as easy, as smooth, as painless as that. "The most amazing celebration of life you will ever read." The Times.
