#BlogTour-‘Five Steps To Happy’ by Ella Dove

About the book…

‘An up-lit treasure‘ Red magazine

Life can change in a heartbeat…

When struggling actress Heidi has a life-changing accident aged 32, her world falls apart. Stuck in hospital and unable to walk, her only companion is Maud, the elderly lady in the bed next to hers. Heidi misses her flatmate, her life, her freedom – surely 32 is too young to be an amputee?

But when Maud’s aloof but attractive grandson Jack pays a visit to the ward, Heidi realises that her life isn’t over just because it’s different. It might not look like the life she dreamed of, but it’s the one she’s got – and there’s a lot she still wants to tick off her bucket list. With Jack at her side, will Heidi take the first step back to happiness? Or is there one more surprise still in store…?

A feel-good read based on the inspiring true story of journalist Ella Dove. Sometimes all it takes is one small step…

My thanks to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers and the team at Orion for my paperback copy of’ ‘Five Steps To Happy’ which is published in ebook,audiobook and hardback formats on 11th July. Using her own personal experience as an amputee, Ella Dove has created a beautiful, modern fable for our times. Introducing Heidi at the very moment she falls could be seen as a risky move as without the buildup from who she was, to who she becomes after the accident, it could be suggested that it removes the reader from the sense of loss of who Heidi is.

However, I absolutely think it is a brave move, and highlights the originality and focus of the story. As you experience, right from page one, the most awful and nonsensical event which sidetracks Heidi’s entire life. The accident which changes everything, the person who leaves her there and how she recuperates is the focus on this wonderful, life-affirming and uplifting book. As you read, you go through the grieving process with Heidu, grief for her missing limb, the life she had, the future she has lost as she struggles to navigate a world not made for people with disabilities.

Coming from a place of understanding, as Ella does, she shines a light on not only the casual difficulties that disabled people experience -such as travelling on escalators-but also the discrimination, lack of representation and understanding of what they are going through. Missing a limb does not make you less of a person, however there is a massive lack of understanding about the processes that a person who has lost a limb has gone through.

In her recovery, Heidi has to face her perceptions of what disability means , as well as building a new future for herself and her family. This one accident has ripples and repercussions from accepting her new body,redefining her place in her family, learning to walk again and in doing so,Jack, the grandson of her recovery roommate Maud, provides a cornerstone when Heidi feels at her absolute lowest ebb.

”This was a battle I’d fight for the rest of my life-confusion,explanation and sadness.”

He shares something he was once told, a piece of paper he was given with a phrase on that helped him keep going and in doing so, he sparks an idea in Heidi about goals for her future when she feels day to day living is grinding her spirit down. She creates a list, her 5 steps to happy, (there is another link to the 5 steps in the book but I am not going to spoil it for you!). These become the backbone of her recovery and also the basis for a great idea to encourage amputees to get moving and keep moving.

‘Recovery was a marathon not a sprint.And I was only at the starting line.’

Her sense of self is fully explored; her outrage at this , her role within her family, her sexual identity…everything is explored in a way rarely brought into the mainstream.It made me laugh, gasp and brought me to tears as well as teaching me about the process of recovery, using a wheelchair, a prosthetic limb and how, when life seems to have completely turn upside down, permanantly , there are those amazing people around who will fight for you, fight with you and keep you going.

A superb book I would absolutely recommend, it is an engrossing and surprisingly quick read as you flip page after page, investing heavily in Heidi and willing her on to master each of her five steps!!

About the author…

Ella Rose Dove is a Commissioning Editor at Good Housekeeping, Prima and Red magazines. Originally from Kent and now based in Stratford, East London, Ella studied English and French at the University of Southampton, where she did her dissertation in Creative Writing. In 2015, she completed the Curtis Brown Creative three-month novel writing course.

In 2016, Ella became an amputee following a freak running accident. She is now an ambassador for the Limbless Association, Barts Health Charity and The London Prosthetics Centre, and regularly leads talks, takes part in events and speaks to patients and their loved ones about trauma.

In her spare time, Ella reads, swims and sings in her local choir – and writes, of course!

Links-http://thelondonprosthetics.com/news/ella_rose_dove_from_tragedy_to_triumph/

https://www.you.co.uk/as-they-wheeled-me-to-surgery-i-took-a-final-look-at-my-right-foot/

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