Journalist, author and mental health campaigner Bryony Gordon discusses the journey to writing about her own mental health, why we need political balance, and her aversion to misery books.

Bryony has written six Sunday Times bestselling books, including the number one bestsellers Mad Girl and You Got This. Her latest book Mad Woman is the eagerly anticipated follow-up which explores a crucial question: what if our notion of what makes us happy is the very thing that’s making us so sad? And her debut novel People Pleaser will be published in 2026. Her work as a mental health campaigner has been widely recognised; she founded Mental Health Mates, a peer support group that encourages people to move for their mental health, and in 2023 she was awarded the President’s Medal by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. She wrote for the Telegraph for 24 years, and is now a columnist at the Daily Mail, and hosts a weekly podcast, The Life of Bryony. Bryony is also a judge for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction.

Bryony’s book choices are:
** The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
** Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
** American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
** Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
** Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt

Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and continues to champion the very best books written by women.

You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops.

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This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.