My Friend, Jane

Megan Ravenhall, MA 2018, MLitt 2020

‘My friend, Jane’ is for educators, professionals, young people, old people, anyone and everyone who might know someone or see a part of themselves in the protagonist, Jane.

The story follows the life of Jane, a seventeen-year-old girl who isn’t quite sure how to deal with the realities of growing up. Though she initially struggles with an eating disorder, her story is not confined to, or defined by, this particular battle. Instead, the narrator attempts to reframe the more traditional tale of a survivor by dissociating the recovery from the eating disorder completely.

This is a story where life after anorexia is not recovery, it is simply just life. It is Jane’s experiences at the University of St Andrews, the relationships she builds and breaks, her adventures and her memories, her diary extracts, her poetry and her reflections. This book aims to help its reader, whether they personally identify with Jane or are trying to support their very own Jane, to find solace in knowing that life is possible, but also to understand why and how the mind of a sufferer works in the way it does. It is honest, raw and, at times, shocking, but it is also a refreshing insight into the mind of a person so many of us may recognise, especially coming out of a global pandemic.

ISBN: 9781910966518