My Friend Fox

'Tender, wise, and deeply true.' - Andrew Denton

'Blazingly beautiful and devastating. I wept but felt less alone as a human. I want everyone to read this book!' – Favel Parrett, author of Past the Shallows and There Was Still Love

The fox sits on the outer waiting for me to discover him because at the moment, I am on the outer too. He watches me. Can you see him? He's clever at hiding.

Just like fox, Heidi has lived on the outer. The 'official record' of her life has been her mental health record: Primary diagnosis – Schizoaffective; Comorbidity – Major depression, juvenile autism, and not her own memories. This is the living, breathing version of Heidi's mental health file that psych wards, doctors, mental health staff or rehab workers know little about or worse, use as evidence of diagnoses. This is Heidi's account of what happened, shadowed by the story of a fox who knows he'll never belong.

Part parable, part memoir, My Friend Fox is a story that might be familiar to some – searching everywhere to finally feel at home. With fox as her guide, Heidi comes to know how to live authentically, and venture into a future of her own making.

A literary memoir about the the wonder, the humour, and the realities that exist beyond what is printed in a mental health file. Alongside Heidi's beautifully lyrical words are her exquisite line drawings, making My Friend Fox a book to be read, treasured, and gifted.