The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness

by Hannah Murray

He sat me down in a chair and he told me, in no uncertain terms, that magic was real.

This is the true story of a spiritual awakening that turned into a mental breakdown. At the age of twenty-seven, an actress joins a wellness organisation and falls in love with its leader. She is sectioned for a psychotic break and diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

The Make-Believe is a deeply personal account of these events. It is a wild ride, a searching attempt for understanding and a call for radical empathy. Lyrical and playful, exploring light and dark, it takes readers on a journey to the edges of reality, to a seductive and dangerous world where magic seems possible.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Mental Health

Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 28, 2026

Reviews

[Vmndetta ᛑᛗᛛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah Murray didn't hold back in this book. It's very raw and visceral. A memoir that doesn't play around and is completely blunt and unfiltered. Reading it is never boring; there's always something strange and bizarre happening inside. It feels like reading a suspenseful cult fiction story. But then it blows your mind because this is a true story, not fiction. Phew, what a wow reading experience.