Scorpions

by Tuppence Middleton

My mind is full of scorpions. A cerebral itch, impossible to scratch. I know these creatures well, but they know me better. They answer to another name, this nest of scorpions, the writhing black mass that lives inside my head…

For as long as Tuppence Middleton can remember, she has struggled with obsessive thoughts and compulsions. She visualises her OCD as scorpions inhabiting her mind, something to be hidden that impacts her life

Have I killed my cat?When was the last time that person in front of me vomited?How many people have touched this door handle since it was cleaned?Should I tap the outside of the airplane to save my loved ones from harm?
Often used as a shorthand for tidiness or as the punchline of a joke, OCD is one of society’s most misunderstood disorders and it’s rarely spoken about with such honesty and openness.

In this beautifully written, moving and often darkly funny memoir, Tuppence recounts what it feels like to share your mind with a nest of scorpions.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Audiobook, Mental Health, Biography

Audible Audio

Published February 27, 2025

Reviews

[Chrissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a family member who has OCD. He has lost jobs, a marriage, and even time with his young son because of it. It is a terrible thing. Which is why I get inwardly upset when people say they have OCD, and laugh, just because they keep a clean and tidy house.

However, Tuppence Middleton managed to make me chuckle while detailing her life living with OCD, due to her relatable style and humour.

I also learned a lot about scorpions.

This is a fantastic book, which I encourage all to read to be educated about this absolutely horrible condition, but without it feeling like being schooled.

[Claire Fuller]

A memoir about living, coping, and (for the most part) overcoming OCD. With unpretentious prose, Tuppence Middleton illuminates how devastating and all-encompassing this illness can be. Unflinchingly frank, and remarkably honest. This memoir, which starts with what Middleton suspects might be the cause of her OCD, details her rituals and obsessions, which must have been incredibly difficult to write about. I learnt a lot, and in a way that made me feel huge compassion for this horrible illness.

[Michelle (around - catching up!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I say no book has ever spoken to me like this one, I really do mean it. So many of my own experiences (and not just directly with OCD) aren't only similar to the authors, they are identical; I found myself nodding vigorously, unable to put the book down at bedtime and frequently pointing frantically at the pages whilst explaining parts to my ever so patient partner. Every aspect of Tuppence's story is told with a gentle vulnerability, it's beautifully written, intelligent yet unpretentious, thoroughly researched, incredibly personal and genuinely had me cackling out loud - often. Scorpions has instantly become that one book I want everybody to read and upon finishing the ebook, I immediately purchased the audible version.



Content warning - this book describes details of the author's own OCD rituals and mentions vomiting throughout.

[Elen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scorpions is an incredibly insightful and beautifully written account of the author's experience living with OCD - a disorder that is so frequently misunderstood and trivialised.

I do not suffer from OCD, but I am familiar with anxiety-driven spirals of thoughts. Middleton writes so candidly about her struggles that I found certain passages difficult to read. The author provides a warning at the beginning of the book to warn of descriptions of compulsive behaviour, but I would also like to make it known that the topic of vomiting is discussed frequently and in detail throughout the book - so if that's something you would find distressing to read then I would urge you to stay away.

At just 208 pages, this book is incredibly readable and informative. I would highly recommend Scorpions to anyone interested in a first-hand account of living with OCD.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House (Ebury) for the opportunity to review this book.

[hanbag · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Wow, this was a tough read, yet somehow Tuppence Middleton still managed to infuse so much hope into an account of her life that so often felt utterly heart-breaking.

Scorpions is the memoir of Tuppence Middleton, where she details her life living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Middleton discusses her triggers and the resulting compulsions in great detail, using the metaphor of scorpion ‘protectors’ in her mind to bring her harrowing experiences to life. This is a heavy one, with plenty of detail about both physical and mental illness, so I advise looking up full content warnings. The big ones are:

OCD, insects, vomit / general sickness, compulsive behaviours

I know these creatures well, but they know me better. There is a ferocious edge to their loyalty, yet something hollow lurks in their promise to keep me safe.

Middleton is not a writer by trade, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from this. The imagery that was painted, both real and metaphorical was vivid and poetic. I always knew exactly what she was trying to say; what feeling she was trying to convey, whether it was frustration, fear, despair, hope, or anger.

It is hard to imagine a line of gift items with anorexia or ptsd boldly stamped upon them for all to see. So why is OCD continually used as a shorthand for light-hearted craziness, or categorised as one of the more comic disorders of the mind?

The narrative method was quick and engaging. Learning about Middleton’s life would have been interesting enough on it’s own, but she used multiple creative tools to take the level of immersion to the next level, from outlining step by step guides on her extensive compulsive routines, to a full ‘choose your own adventure’ style chapter, which put you right in the decision making shoes of a person with OCD.

The defects and faults of the mind are like wounds in the body; after all imaginable care has been taken to heal them up, still there will be a scar left behind, and they are in continual danger of breaking the skin and bursting out again.

The only thing that brings this reading experience down half a star for me was the desire for more in some areas. I fully appreciate that laying out the hardest parts of your life isn’t a walk in the park, and Middleton is entitled to share whichever parts she wishes, but there were a couple of periods where there were time jumps and I think it would have helped the context of certain situations if I could have seen more of how she got from point A to point B. It didn’t feel fully complete in some places.

Having said that, I highly recommend picking this up if you are mentally and emotionally able to - just check those trigger warnings thoroughly first.

Thank you to Ebury Publishing and Netgalley for the chance to read and review an advanced copy of this title.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Penguin for sending me a finished copy in exchange for a review and book tour with @noveltours on Bookstagram.

Scorpions is a memoir of Tuppence Middleton's experience with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), and she imagines her OCD as Scorpions.

This is a short but insightful look into the ways that OCD can manifest and sneak into a person's life. Middleton plainly states her compulsions (some which I had to skim due to my own obsessive anxiety) but when they are written it is obvious how intrusive thoughts and compulsions can be reasoned with in ones own mind.

As stated above, I struggle with mental health, so I am unsure how easily these descriptions are understood from an outside perspective. Obviously, this is one person's experience with OCD so is limited to how Middleton experiences her mental health condition. However, it would have been interesting to see the more obsessive nature of OCD as Middleton seemed to concentrate more on the compulsion side. But as I stated, this is a memoir so Middleton only concentrated on her experience with the compulsions she experiences.

I found the section on experiencing COVID with mental health particularly interesting as someone who, like Middleton, enjoyed the controlled nature of lockdown. It was interesting to explore how people with mental health thrived in lockdown as their worst fears were brought to fruition.

I definitely think this book has merit to someone who does not experience OCD or wants to learn more about the OCD experience. If you are a reader with an anxiety or OCD disorder, I would read with caution as it can be triggering and can find yourself adopting compulsions.

Overall, a quick and insightful read!

[Isobel Macleod · Rating 5 out of 5]

OCD is incredibly isolating and cruel - all thoughts you have, no matter how horrible, must be true and then to acknowledge them out loud is just ensuring that they will happen, so to me this is one of the bravest books I've ever read. Scorpions is a really beautifully written and honest memoir that plays a really important role in breaking the stigma that surrounds OCD and in letting people with OCD realise that they aren't alone with the scorpions that plague their mind. I really wish that this book had been around when I was younger.

[Kinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a visual and poetic way of describing experiences of someone living with OCD!

[CadmanReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily 5 stars.

Review to follow

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was growing up, and my scorpions were too, all I wanted was to know that I wasn't the only one. I wanted to hear and learn about other people who thought or acted as I did.

I have always admired Tuppence Middleton as an actor since I was a teen watching BBC’s adaptation of War and Peace. This has continued through many of her works up to The Forsytes earlier this year. She somehow manages to exude a certain gothic coolness about her in every role that I’ve always liked. To learn that she, like me, lives with mental illness - or scorpions in the brain - was a thrilling revelation for me and I knew I had to pick this one up.

I’ve always tried to be open about living with mental illness since I was a teen, wanting to alleviate some of the stigma that followed it. I also have always been in search of stories, both fictional and non, that I could relate to and feel seen by due to a lack of that representation when I was little and confused by my brain and anxiety. Middleton has written one that really connected with me, and it helped me view my brain in a different way as well as some of my compulsive behaviors and thoughts.

Middleton writes about growing up with Chronic Fatigue, Emetophobia, and OCD. That enough would compel me to read and reread this book, however it is also the way in which she writes that draws you further in. She writes as if you are a friend she is talking to, a confidant, and allows you into her brain. She also writes with wit and humor, something many of us who have lived similarly know is critical to finding joy even in the unfortunate moments. I also LOVED that she used various formats for her storytelling such as a choose your own OCD adventure style chapter and a script of what runs through her brain when the scorpions speak to her. This makes for one of the most unique mental health memoirs I’ve ever read, and one that made it so I could wholeheartedly empathize with the author in. It didn’t feel clinical, it felt undeniably human.

While I don’t enjoy having my mental health challenges and I am also sad that Tuppence Middleton does as well, it does make it all the more okay knowing someone else out there has scorpions who somewhat mirror your own. Also that that person believes in a “Victorian gloom” aesthetic, because that is cool as hell too.

[Michael Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tuppence Middleton has always been an impressive and winning presence in the work she does. To cite a couple that come quickly to mind: in Dickensian, as Miss Havisham, she let out a scream of such magnificent anguish that it rattled my TV, and her appearance in the first Downton Abbey movie pretty much lit the whole thing up as far as I was concerned.

But this is about another dimension altogether: her battle with OCD.

We're all familiar with people who use OCD as a throwaway badge or a temporary tattoo, complaining that they like their pens to their left, or hate it when the beans touch the egg on their Full English. I have a few puzzling compulsions myself: I have an odd fear of 4.44 in the morning and if awake at 4:43 will turn away from the clock so I don't see it, I never stop reading a large book on page 666 and I like to have my cutlery in alphabetical order: fork, knife, spoon. I also recognise the need to make repeated efforts to check that the door is locked and the tap is not running.

But none of that is OCD, not even close. It's idiosyncrasy at best and possibly even just caution, and does not even get to the outer border of the territory of OCD that Tuppence Middleton and others like her experience.

Giving her OCD a physical aspect, the eponymous scorpions, is an astute move. It makes a sensation recognisable, even if the deeper machinations of the condition are not. It implies sharp edges, sneaky peril, the clandestine coming out into the light. It's a wonderful metaphor, sets a lucid tone.

In a style that is as pleasing as it is clear, she describes numerous scenarios in which the OCD could well have proved overwhelming: planes, shops, and while lying sleepless in the dark, consumed by a fractal of fears and dreadful anxieties that build on each other - and as anyone knows few things show up more luminously in the dark than fears do.

She describes her emetophobia also, with the numerous permutations and implications that come with it.

Make no mistake though, this is not a depressing book. Her style is very readable, occasionally quirky, humorous and even, despite the subject, often entertaining. She is highly self-aware, observing that OCD is a "disorder that is resistant to logic". (p.156)

She can also conjure a satisfying phrase or two. Therapy, she says, is "an assassination attempt on the scorpions". (p.157)

This is an effortless and easy read about a troubling and serious subject. It is aptly compelling for all the right reasons.

I was an admirer of Tuppence Middleton before I read this. Even more so now. She should certainly write more too, as she's clearly very good at it.

[Samantha]

Why I choose to read this ?
I choose this book because I simply wanted to learn more about the effect living with OCD can have on a person. I myself suffer MH but this is different and shows how while the world thinks its a simple thing its actually not.
Timeline set over?
The book follows Tuppence life in her development of ME/CFS to the onset of OCD - her scorpions.
Recommend
Yes, but please read the triggers as it details Tuppences routines and for anyone with OCD this can have an impact, which i have learnt from reading this book.
Summed up in one sentence
A very powerful memoir that proves just how exhausting and the mental toll living with OCD can have.
Overall Wrap up
This is a really powerful memoir, not only detailing Tuppence live with OCD but also sharing alot of information surrounding it. This is such a quick read but its something that will teach and stay with you long after reading.

Dates Read = 3rd June until 5th June 2026.

Book Information – Scorpions by Tuppence Middleton.

Genre – Memior.

Pages – 194 pages.

Available on Kindle Unlimited – Scorpions is not available on kindle unlimited.

Available Formats – Available on kindle, audiobook, hardback and paperback.

Publishing Information – Published on 27th February 2025 by Rider.

Format in Which I Read – I read this in paperback.

Where my copy come From – My copy came from Novel Book Tours.

POVs – This is written in single pov – Tuppence.

Single/Dual/Multiple Timelines – This is written on a single timeline but does flick back in places.

1st, 2nd or 3rd person – This is written in first person.

Trigger Warnings – Please check content warnings before reading if necessary and please always remember that your mental health matters.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not quite sure where to start in reviewing Scorpions, A Memoir, from actress Tuppence Middleton, other than to say thank you to Middleton.

Thank you for being honest and open enough (and indeed brave) in writing down your experiences of living with OCD, your scorpions. Thank you for providing an insight into how OCD can actually manifest as opposed to all those trite ideas peddled in places that would suggest OCD is just about cleaning and being particular with where things go. Thank you for creating a book that you would have hoped to read when figuring out what your scorpions meant. Thank you for allowing your reader, those of us who also balance our waking days (and sleepless nights) with the weight of OCD, that sense of oh it’s not just me then is it. And thank you for providing an insight into life with OCD for those who love and care for us, for when we try our best but our mind’s just won’t allow us to necessarily follow your logic.

For as long as Tuppence Middleton can remember, she has struggled with obsessive thoughts and compulsions. She visualises her OCD as scorpions inhabiting her mind, something to be hidden that impacts her life daily. Often used as a shorthand for tidiness or as the punchline of a joke, OCD is one of society’s most misunderstood disorders and it’s rarely spoken about with such honesty and openness. In this beautifully written, moving and often darkly funny memoir, Tuppence recounts what it feels like to share your mind with a nest of scorpions.

Middleton’s remarkable honesty and candour makes this an incredibly important book. Her author’s note at the start is vital; she outlines that she is trying to create an immersive experience (which she certainly does) but that those with OCD should take care with reading if they feel it might distress or disrupt their own recovery. Personally I found great comfort in being able to both relate to and differentiate my own experiences of OCD to Middleton’s. The confirmation of not being alone (even though we know we aren’t ultimately) is very powerful indeed.

Though this isn’t an easy read, it is a vital one and one that I hope will provoke even more discussions around OCD.

With thanks to Netgalley and Rider for my advance copy.

[Abbie ✨]

Scorpions is a raw, honest and surprisingly funny memoir that explores what it means to live with OCD, anxiety and emetophobia. Tuppence Middleton writes with such openness that even the most difficult moments feel approachable, and her vulnerability shines through on every page.

What I loved most was how balanced it felt. While the book doesn’t shy away from the reality of living with mental illness, it’s also full of warmth, humour and hope. Tuppence has a gift for describing intrusive thoughts and compulsions in a way that’s both deeply personal and incredibly relatable, even for readers who haven’t experienced OCD themselves.

Insightful, compassionate and beautifully written, Scorpions is an important memoir that helps break down misconceptions around mental health while reminding readers that they’re never as alone as they might think. A powerful and memorable read.

Thanks to the publisher for gifting me a copy x

[Allison Fernandes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to anyone. OCD is a disorder that many people don’t understand or know much about, often defining it as liking to be “organized and neat”. OCD is so much more, and Tuppence Middleton did a fantastic job explaining what it is and how it affects it’s captors everyday.

Using facts and knowledge about scorpions puts the disorder into perspective and shines light on a new way of understanding what OCD is. OCD is a misunderstood disorder. What it truly is and how it affects people is rarely discussed or brought up. Middleton faces these misunderstandings and tells her story of growing up with OCD in an understandable and relatable way.

TW: vomiting discussed in the story.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot guarantee this memoir is exceptional, or well written, or perfect research but I felt a kinship with the author throughout. My OCD does not manifest in the same way - weirdly, pathogens and vomit do not send me under, in the classic way it does for many - but I saw myself, and things I’d never even realised I did, in the tale.

Perhaps Scorpions is an excellent way to describe what is going on up there.

”It is hard to imagine a line of gift items with ANOREXIA or PTSD boldly stamped across them for all to see, so why is OCD continually used as shorthand for lighthearted craziness?”

[Caitlin Holloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Tuppence Middleton and NetGalley for this ARC!

A very honest read that I think hasn’t been seen enough, especially around topics like OCD. My fiancé has OCD and has struggled with very similar symptoms to the author. When I spoke to him about some of the things mentioned in the book, he got very excited to see himself represented without any trivialisation or undermining of symptoms. He’s very eager to buy the book when it comes out. A very necessary read for anyone interested in memoirs specifically around mental health.

[Ross McAusland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed how her writing flowed and how naturally funny she came across. I was recommended this and could relate to an extent to her symptoms of the OCD but also found the extreme nature of her symptoms reassuring. I felt compassion Tuppence reading this but found it a very interesting insight into someone experiencing OCD and really enjoyed the various formats throughout.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel so seen. This is such a wonderful memoir describing the difficulties of living with OCD. I found myself smiling and nodding throughout because it was so nice to know that you’re not alone in coping with the hardships it can bring such as certain rituals and intrusive thoughts. I’d recommend anybody to read this, especially if you have OCD!

[Tresillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting and honest memoir of a life with OCD. I felt I got a real insight into the condition and the complexities of living with it. The main reason it loses a star is that I'd have actually liked a bit more.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Tuppence says at the beginning - don’t read if you are susceptible to others rituals - like tics they can be absorbed. I found the reading of this book stressful and upsetting - one can never trivialise OCD - it must be so difficult to live with and Tuppence has been actually quite brave to disclose so many of her thought

[Joanne Wadsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked listening to this one!! I’m working with a client with emetophobia so this was so helpful to understand more what that might feel like / sound like / be like.

[Issey Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was absorbed in this book. Comparing obsessive thoughts to scuttling, sinister scorpions was genius. I understand better now how people with OCD live and try to navigate their world with a constant battle. I also loved the metaphor to explain the diathesis stress model ‘genes are like a bullet in a gun and our environment pulls the trigger’. A great way to visualise and explain this theory. A privilege to gain understanding through her lens of the world.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read a book in one day before!
Ths is painfully close to home and I have never seen certain parts of OCD described before, especially some of the things I've done and questioned.

[The Bookshop Mons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even just for chapter 4 <3

L.

[Hollie]

🎧

[Josh Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lyrical and subjective account of the author’s experience living with obsessive compulsive disorder — this memoir is well—crafted, darkly comic, and deeply moving.

[Kath Williams-Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave a good insight into the struggles of living with OCD.

[Jaynie.Hufflepuff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique and honest, this personal depiction of the authors experience of living with ocd is written with such clarity and courage. She cleverly deals with some difficult topics whilst also managing to weave humour and hope into the pages too. There was plenty in this book that I could relate to but I think it also has the ability to encourage a better understanding of ocd to those who haven’t at first hand experienced scorpions of this nature before themselves. Both a thought-provoking memoir and a potential lifeline to those dealing with ocd, I highly recommend this book :)

[aaliyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Was Tennessee Williams right when he said that to kill all demons might kill his angels too?”

What an amazing debut and insight into OCD. As someone who suffers from obsessions myself, it felt good to know that I’m not alone. This almost brought me to tears a couple of times as I can’t begin to imagine how exhausting it must be to suffer the worst of this anxious disorder.

I read this within a day and I am so so very grateful that it was written.