The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

To say that this is a beautiful, an incredible, a moving memoir is completely true, but doesn't come close to doing the book justice. On the one hand we have memories full of life, colour and detail. One the other I was always painfully aware of the extreme conditions under which Bauby wrote. He brings his predicament vividly to life and manages to allow readers into his world. We see his hospital room and the beach to which his wheelchair can just about be pushed, potholes permitting. We experience his joy at seeing his children and his exhaustion after they leave. And Bauby never descends into self-pity or despair.

The Diving-Bell And The Butterfly was made into a film which I watched not too many years ago. The film is good, certainly, and portrays Bauby's life well, but reading the memoir was a far more intense experience for me. I felt as though he was speaking directly to me - which in a way he was. Trying to imagine that situation of having your mind completely alive and active while the only muscle you still control is one eyelid is enough. Living that situation while still retaining a sense of humour and not going completely mad would be beyond me.