The Trick Is to Keep Breathing

Synopsis

After the sudden death of her married lover and the loss of her mother, twenty-seven-year-old Joy Stone finds herself drifting through the routines of everyday life while quietly falling apart. Working as a drama teacher in a small Scottish town, she struggles with grief, depression, eating disorders, and the relentless expectations of normality. As her thoughts fracture, so too does the novel itself, blending fragmented prose, lists, medical questionnaires, recipes, and stream of consciousness into a startling portrait of a mind under pressure.

First published in 1989, The Trick Is to Keep Breathing is one of the defining novels of contemporary Scottish literature. Janice Galloway captures mental illness with extraordinary honesty, refusing melodrama in favour of sharp observation, dark humour, and profound compassion. Often compared to The Bell Jar, this groundbreaking debut remains a powerful exploration of loneliness, resilience, and the fragile work of staying alive.

About the Author

Janice Galloway is a Scottish novelist, memoirist, and short story writer born in Ayrshire in 1955. Her debut novel, The Trick Is to Keep Breathing, is widely regarded as a modern Scottish classic and was shortlisted for multiple literary awards. In 2023, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her work is celebrated for its formal inventiveness, psychological depth, and unflinching exploration of women's lives.

Publisher

Dalkey Archive Press

Publication Date

May 26, 2026

Format

Paperback

Pages

350

Subjects

Literary Fiction · Scottish Literature · Psychological Fiction · Mental Health · Modern Classics · Feminist Fiction

ISBN

9781628976458