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Caroline Flack: Hundreds donate copies of depression memoir after Love Island host’s death

In the wake of TV presenter Caroline Flack’s death, an independent bookseller in Hastings has been flooded with thousands of offers to send copies of Matt Haig’s memoir, Reasons to Stay Alive, to anyone who needs one.

Reasons to Stay Alive details Haig’s personal journey with depression. Flack herself praised the book as “honest and beautiful” on Twitter in 2015, which Haig said lifted his spirits during “a bout of Twitter-fuelled depression just as Reasons to Stay Alive came out”.

The author tweeted his support for the book-buying initiative, but added: “I am not a GP or psychiatrist. Just a person who went through something and got over it and wrote about it.”

Simon Key, who runs the Big Green Bookshop, tweeted out his offer after he was contacted by a reader, Emma, who said she was willing to buy a couple of copies for anybody affected by the news of Flack’s death. Blackwell’s in Oxford has also been offering free copies.

“People have been very generous – some have given a pound or two; others more than £100,” Key told The Guardian. “I’m getting thousands of DMs from people who need the book, and who are telling me why. This book has made a difference – lots of people have said it saved their lives.”

On Monday 17 February, the Big Green Bookshop’s Twitter reported about “800” books have been sent to people who requested a copy of the memoir, calling the efforts “phenomenal”.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, you can contact a Samaritan for confidential support on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org