Catherine Simpson – a love letter to Tricia, a lost sister

Speaking of Suicide

Episode take-away: Find out what the specific thing is which helps you deal with losing someone you love and if you come from a world where silence is the norm, find a way to break it.

It’s coming up for 10 years since Catherine Simpson’s sister, Tricia, took her own life. In the aftermath of Tricia’s death Catherine – who’s a journalist and writer – went on a quest, picking through Tricia’s diaries, to try and get a better understanding of who her sister was and why she decided to take her life. The resulting book When I had a little sister is beautifully crafted, hugely thought provoking, at times funny and of course desperately sad. Most of all its profoundly honest.

Catherine never thought she’d be able to write about Tricia, that she’d find it too hard, but the process of writing, when she came to it, felt like she’d spent time with her sister which was very healing and thought provoking.

“In a way it was almost been like a joint project with Tricia to try and de-stigmatise mental health, to talk about suicide”

It’s a story of frustration and anger certainly, some of which is directed at the consequences of growing up in a rural community where feelings were never discussed and silence prevailed, but more than anything else it’s a story of deep affection “in a way it’s a love letter to Tricia…a loving memorial to her”.

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Speaking of Suicide is produced and presented by Adventurous Audio