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The Selfish Act
Written in response to Jeremy Clarkson's remarks about the selfish nature of suicide on railway lines, The Selfish Act is a short story that paints a more insightful portrait of the mind of a suicidal person.
Morwenna has a very satisfying life, but she's plagued by an undiagnosed mental health problem that she refers to as, "Too many thoughts."
When she wakes up the morning after her engagement party, feeling disconnected from the world, her despair drives her to a railway bridge. She finds herself trapped between the reality of phone calls from loved ones and the alternative universe painted by desperate depression.
Morwenna has a very satisfying life, but she's plagued by an undiagnosed mental health problem that she refers to as, "Too many thoughts."
When she wakes up the morning after her engagement party, feeling disconnected from the world, her despair drives her to a railway bridge. She finds herself trapped between the reality of phone calls from loved ones and the alternative universe painted by desperate depression.
19 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Rosen Trevithick
32 books275 followersRosen is a British bestselling author, who writes fiction for children and adults.
She was born in Cornwall and grew up on Restronguet Creek. She studied Experimental Psychology at St Catherine's College, Oxford, before moving back to the West Country. She now lives on the south coast of Devon with two imaginary cats, fantasising about getting a real one.
In 2011 Rosen was an aspiring author. Writing was a hobby. The following January sales of her books on Kindle took off, and by October she has sold 27,000 copies and her total download count exceeds 220,000. She now has three books in print: Pompomberry House, Seesaw and The Troll Trap, as well as many digital titles.
Rosen writes in a variety of genres with a strong leaning towards comedy. She has also dabbled with psychological fiction and mystery writing.
She loves wild swimming, mountain biking, interesting boots, quiffs, 'sampling' chocolate and cooking tasty treats. She dislikes house spiders, doing laundry and people putting costumes on their cats.
She was born in Cornwall and grew up on Restronguet Creek. She studied Experimental Psychology at St Catherine's College, Oxford, before moving back to the West Country. She now lives on the south coast of Devon with two imaginary cats, fantasising about getting a real one.
In 2011 Rosen was an aspiring author. Writing was a hobby. The following January sales of her books on Kindle took off, and by October she has sold 27,000 copies and her total download count exceeds 220,000. She now has three books in print: Pompomberry House, Seesaw and The Troll Trap, as well as many digital titles.
Rosen writes in a variety of genres with a strong leaning towards comedy. She has also dabbled with psychological fiction and mystery writing.
She loves wild swimming, mountain biking, interesting boots, quiffs, 'sampling' chocolate and cooking tasty treats. She dislikes house spiders, doing laundry and people putting costumes on their cats.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 19, 2014
I got this as a free download for kindle.
Written as a response to one of Jeremy Clarkson's rants, this is a very touching and beautiful short story about suicide. Whatever your views on the subject are it is certainly worth a read.
I love how this author can write so sympathetically about such a difficult subject and also write fantastic kids stories and side-splitting comedy.
Written as a response to one of Jeremy Clarkson's rants, this is a very touching and beautiful short story about suicide. Whatever your views on the subject are it is certainly worth a read.
I love how this author can write so sympathetically about such a difficult subject and also write fantastic kids stories and side-splitting comedy.
August 8, 2015
This may be a short story but it is a powerful one. It certainly isn't for entertainment but is an insightful look into mental illness, where readers may learn something of what it feels like to be suicidal.
A well written and observational piece.
A well written and observational piece.
January 25, 2012
I wish I could give this more than 5 stars. Again, Trevithick has shown herself as a master of the short story. This one the story of a woman who suffers from depression and views suicide as her only release. In both books of hers which I have read where mental illness is core to the storyline, she has put an incredible insight into the thought processes and "inner voice" of victims of it.
In The Selfish Act born from celebrity, Jeremy Clarkson's (yes, I did put his name to it..he should wallow in his stupidity) ignorant, unempathetic, self centered statement, which again proves that you don't need to be a brain surgeon or Mother Theresa to be wealthy or popular in this world, Trevithick puts a face to depression and the desperate act suicide in 21 engrossing pages.
Trevithick has shown class and professionalism in how this book is written. Suicide is a desperate last resort many take and not to be the punchline of a spoiled, pompous neandrathal's joke.
In The Selfish Act born from celebrity, Jeremy Clarkson's (yes, I did put his name to it..he should wallow in his stupidity) ignorant, unempathetic, self centered statement, which again proves that you don't need to be a brain surgeon or Mother Theresa to be wealthy or popular in this world, Trevithick puts a face to depression and the desperate act suicide in 21 engrossing pages.
Trevithick has shown class and professionalism in how this book is written. Suicide is a desperate last resort many take and not to be the punchline of a spoiled, pompous neandrathal's joke.
November 30, 2016
In this short story, a newly engaged young woman, struggling with mental illness, makes her way to a railway line. The story is both thoughtful and thought provoking. Illustrating very simply but masterfully the gulf between those who suffer from mental illness and those trying to help and understand them.
Speaking from the viewpoint of good health it is impossible to know the processes that leave the mentally ill in such anguish. We feel that we should be able to reason with them, to apply our own thought processes to them but that is neither possible nor fair.
The author has made a bold statement here within a few pages and I, for one, applaud her.
Speaking from the viewpoint of good health it is impossible to know the processes that leave the mentally ill in such anguish. We feel that we should be able to reason with them, to apply our own thought processes to them but that is neither possible nor fair.
The author has made a bold statement here within a few pages and I, for one, applaud her.
October 17, 2012
This isn't a leisurely read. I wrote it to make a point about suicide. If that's what you want, read away, but if it's a story that you're after, you might prefer one of my other short stories, such as "On the Rocks" or "The Other Daughter".
January 31, 2016
A deeply moving and thought provoking look at depression and suicide in response to a typically thoughtless comment from Jeremy Clarkson. It presents a side that is rarely spoken about, the view of depression from the point of view of the sufferer.
February 18, 2014
This was just beautiful. The voice is relatable to those who understand. Just yeah, beautiful.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews