When Bad Things Happen in Good Bikinis by Helen Bailey is the first book to be featured on the brand new Radio 2 Fact not Fiction Book Club with Claudia Winkleman.
The book was selected with the help of a panel made up of Reading Agency and library staff from across the UK. Find out more about this new strand of the Radio 2 Book Club. We have an exclusive extract for you to read.
When Bad Things Happen in Good Bikinis
Honest and searing, yet often laugh-out-loud funny, this is a compelling account of a marriage and early widowhood and a truly life-affirming testament to the power of survival. When Bad Things Happen in Good Bikinis covers all the obvious struggles in the aftermath of a loss, as well as many not-so-obvious, but just as poignant, everyday obstacles. Helen has emerged from her nightmare, and her story will bring wry humour, comfort and hope to a huge number of people, whatever their circumstances
Selection panel review
Our reading panel of staff from The Reading Agency and public library staff really enjoyed When Bad Things Happen in Good Bikinis – here are some of their comments:
“This is possibly the hardest book I have read all year in that it left me an emotional wreck during reading, and yet at the same time I couldn’t put it down. The way Helen’s story starts is horrific but yet the style of blog-to-book really does show grief as a journey. At first her memories of her husband are all perfect but as time passes and the initial shock wears off she is able to me more honest.”
“I thought that this book was excellent – both in terms of its content and its style, although the subject-matter is difficult to discuss and, normally, I would shy away from reading books about bereavement and grief. The book is an edited version of the author’s own blog entries, peppered with contributions from those of others. This breaks up the text into manageable, discrete essays (in tone ranging from the moving to the entertaining) examining particular aspects or stages of her experience. This has broadened my perspective on how people cope with trauma and loss.”
About the author
Helen Bailey was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and grew up in Ponteland, Northumberland. She spent more than three decades living and working in London, but since 2013 has lived in Royston, Hertfordshire, with her partner, his two sons, her dachshund and a permanent sense of bewilderment as to how radically her life has changed since February 27 2011, the date on which her husband drowned whilst they were on holiday in Barbados. Discover more about Helen on her blog, Planet Grief.
A word from Helen
I feel very honoured that my book, When Bad Things Happen in Good Bikinis, has been chosen as the inaugural book for Radio 2’s Fact Not Fiction. Non-fiction books have played a large part in my life over the last four-and-a-half years. I have always been an avid reader – as a child I’d beg other members of my family for their library tickets – but since my husband died in February 2011, my reading habits have changed. Crushed by grief and unable to hold a novel’s plot in my head for very long, I found solace in non-fiction of all genres, and whilst I still enjoy a good novel, it is non-fiction books that I turn to time and time again. For that reason, I shall be following Fact Not Fiction’s book recommendations and being an active part of the book club.
Get involved
Tune in to Claudia Winkleman’s Arts Show on the BBC iPlayer to hear an interview with Helen Bailey talking about her book.
Win 10 copies of When Bad Things Happen in Good Bikinis for your reading group – just complete our short survey.
Have you read When Bad Things Happen in Good Bikinis? You can share your thoughts with us on Twitter, or post a review. You can also follow author Helen Bailey on Twitter.
Want to find out more? Take a look at the Radio 2 Book Club Twitter feed or find out more on the Radio 2 Arts Show website.
