Alice In The Looking Glass

Alice in the Looking Glass is a moving memoir written by a mother and her anorexic daughter, Alice. In the first part of the book Jo Kingsley writes with raw intensity about Alice’s illness and what she hopes is her recovery. At ten, Alice was an easy-going, free-spirited child. At eleven, she started to develop her ‘rigmaroles’ – little rituals which grew into severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – and then, at fourteen, turned into anorexia. Jo describes her journey through ‘Planet Anorexia’, recognising the amazing support she received and telling of the long periods of despair, guilt, anger and, as the mother of a much-loved child, sheer terror. By writing this book her wish is to pass on her experiences as, to share all her doubts, failures, anxieties and eventually some successes in the hope of supporting other families going through the same trauma. In the second part of the book Alice, now eighteen and on the road to recovery, also looks back over the past eight years. She writes vividly and honestly about herself, her illness, her treatment and recovery. Finally, Jo brings the story up to date and offers guidance and hope to others who love and care for an anorexic child.