CW: OCD, immersive descriptions of obsessive thought cycles and compulsive rituals—the author warns for those with OCD to read with care.

Sharp claws, venomous stings; scorpions are known for their danger. Tuppence Middleton’s debut memoir Scorpions invites readers into her life with a mind haunted by the titular creatures—they serve as an artfully crafted metaphor for her compulsions and intrusive thoughts, immersing us in her experience living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

What was most important to me was that Middleton’s story does not begin and end with OCD. She is a person, with a mental illness (as she refers to it), but not someone whose entire identity is framed by this, unlike many depictions of OCD in the mainstream media. In Middleton’s opening chapter she is young, not yet battling OCD. It manifests itself only after a severe bout of chronic fatigue syndrome and a subsequent fixation on health and contamination. Her scorpions were buried in the sand, hiding, until they happened to be disturbed. The author is not simply defined by this, however. She has seen many successes through her education, career and personal life including motherhood, and this memoir is just as much about the impacts of OCD as Middleton’s successes alongside them.

Middleton does not just write of her own experiences but each chapter itself is a vignette into a specific point in her life—its own short story that demonstrates specifically how OCD impacts her. These are narratives from across her life too, and are an effective insight into the milestones and everyday impositions of her condition. For example, Middleton faces difficulties forming relationships when she begins tertiary education because of her vigilance towards contamination, but this also affects her daily.Sometimes simply existing in public is difficult, due to her fixation on avoiding vomit. Her descriptions are vivid and didactic, we are immersed in what is going on and how the scorpions are affecting her.

Middleton explains her OCD’s justification for her rituals and acknowledges that they are not logical, but is very clear she is not obsessive without reason. Her poignant examples demonstrate how Middleton has constantly worked to live her life the way she wants to, alongside her OCD. Her honesty through the memoir is incredibly poignant. The author speaks of her experiences with therapy and how she was initially afraid that she couldn’t be normal. Middleton persevered, however, and finding help became a crucial factor in ensuring she could properly live her life. Her memoir is unafraid in its admissions, with multifaceted and honest insights.

Middleton is very open with what has helped her, emphasising methods that may seem inconsequential to outsiders but writing the words without fear of judgement. These range from relying on the reassurance of family members to just taking photos to ensure the oven is off, but all of them are important in disproving her scorpions. The author is extremely clear in how these things help her and are important in disproving her scorpions, creating an accessible, in-depth understanding in the reader even if they are not familiar with OCD.

Middleton’s use of structure is fabulous, creating an engaging and very textured piece of writing. The memoir is broken in twelve chapters—significantly, as we learn, an even number—but each has a different form. Illustrations from Jesper Waldersten of scorpions and representations of Middleton’s writing are superb at forwarding the tone of the memoir, particularly when the Scorpions are introduced. I would have liked to see more of these through the book, though, as they give so much yet only occur a handful of times. One chapter is structured as a choose your own adventure, highlighting the difficulty of ‘winning’ in a day with OCD. A few times Middleton even uses more poetic or play-like formatting to demonstrate how the scorpions impose on her mind and crowd her thoughts. Giving her OCD both a metaphorical representation and physical one on the page was extremely effective at demonstrating what intrusive thoughts viscerally feel like to readers. The amount of play in the formatting also kept a sort of lightness through the piece. It would be easy to write a very hardened, emotional account of Middleton’s experience with her illness. Her struggles are explored, but the memoir maintains a sense of freshness and enjoyment in the read as she both describes her experiences but invites the audience into them herself. You never know what is coming next.

As someone who has never encountered Tuppence Middleton before, I found the main downfall of this memoir to be there is not enough about who she actually is in the book. There is obviously a focus on her life with OCD, but at moments it would be far more effective to add further context about who she is and particularly what she has achieved. This is partly a consequence of the very specific examples and the immersive style the author uses, but the stylistic ellipses between events could be more effective if I was not missing context because of them. In moments I found myself pulled out of the book and researching the author. She speaks, for example, of herself as an actress, but I did not realise how hugely successful she had been until I looked her up. This is a humble approach, but it meant at times I couldn’t adequately assess whether she had been able to address particular struggles.

Scorpions is beautifully written, and incredibly effective at giving readers a base understanding of what living with OCD may be like for a person. Middleton has crafted a memoir that explores how she navigates through her life with the illness but also plays with form and function to make what is ultimately an informative and exciting read. It is a great choice for anyone looking to learn more about the author, or OCD itself.