Life, interrupted: The memoir of a nearly person - James McConnel (First edition)

Intense sadness kills it.
Playing music kills it.
And so...does alcohol.

James McConnel always felt like a ‘nearly’ person. Alienated and bullied at school, he found solace in his talent for music. But as his piano playing skills developed, so did a bewildering array of strange compulsions. Initially the jerking, coughing, grunting, repeating, tapping, sniffing and counting was dismissed as a ‘funny little habit’. But it was clearly much more than that.

As a child, playing music was the only time James felt in control. But later, the bittersweet discovery that drinking also temporarily stopped his twitches saw him slip into alcoholism.

Aged thirty-two, James was finally diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome and, at long last, he began to understand himself. He still has tics and obsessive routines but his attitude to these has altered dramatically. He is happy.

Touching, humorous and intimate, Life, Interrupted is the astonishing story of one man’s journey to self-acceptance.