Heartsick

When Jessie Stephens went through a difficult breakup, she started to look for books or stories that would reflect her experience and perhaps give her some hope for the future. There were plenty of guide books in the '101 tips to cure a broken heart' vein, but what Jessie wanted were stories. She wanted to read about other people's experiences, to see the universalities, and to feel connected to others who were struggling in a similar way. Now she's written the book she needed to read - a close-up, compelling narrative nonfiction account of many lows and occasional surprising highs of heartbreak.

Based on intensive interviews with three main subjects, Jessie has woven together three vastly different - yet breathtakingly similar - stories of heartbreak. Claire has returned from London to the dust and familiarity of her childhood home, Toowoomba, after breaking up with her girlfriend Maggie. Patrick is a lonely uni student, until he teams up with Caitlin on a group project - but does she feel as connected as he does? And Ana is happily married with three children, until the night she falls in love with her best friend.

Bruising, beautiful, achingly specific but wholeheartedly universal, Heartsick reminds us that emotional pain can make us as it breaks us, and that storytelling has the ultimate healing power.

Praise for Heartsick
'A remarkable longform journalism exploration of the human heart and how it breaks. Original, meticulous, marvellous. Stephens has such a handle on heartbreak here that you'd be forgiven for thinking she's had hers broken hundreds of times. But, of course, just once is more than enough for anyone. Dive in, soak up every word, and remember what it felt like to ache with the glorious sick.' Trent Dalton

'Full of empathy and grippingly told, this is a book for anyone who has suffered a broken heart. Jessie Stephens perfectly captures the thrill of love, as well as the agony that sometimes follows. You'll care desperately for all these people, in all their damage and hope.' Richard Glover

'Thought-provoking, highly original and beautifully nuanced. Jessie Stephens' journalistic skill shines as she weaves together true stories with a narrative as compelling as any novel.' Jane Harper

'This book is a delight. Stephens has written a compulsive, utterly endearing thing about that most human of struggles: heartache. It is Sally Rooney's Normal People meets Louis Theroux. What Heartsick does for us all, because its core is universal, is reveal the true nature of love in astonishing detail. The precision will grip you. Stephens shows us, too, that we are not alone. And that is a gift.' Rick Morton

'Unflinching, perceptive and inquisitive - all the things Jessie Stephens does best - Heartsick is a window into another person's soul, with permission to read the inside of their heart. In its pages, Heartsick delivers what every broken-hearted person needs, the ability to see themselves in others who have walked this path before them. With this book, Jessie Stephens has just established herself as a major player in the Australian literary scene. A stunning debut.' Sally Hepworth