Talking to Strangers

by Michael Harding

'It's always a bad idea to go online and book a flight when you've had too much wine. You never know where you might end up.' This was how Michael Harding found himself in a strange flat in Bucharest in January 2015, which set the tone for the rest of the year. After a stint in the Gaiety Theatre production of The Field, Harding returned to the tranquil hills above Lough Allen and began to imagine what his little cottage might look like if he got a few builders to tear a hole in the wall to add on another room.

Surely an extension would give him a renewed sense of purpose in life, as he approached old age. But as the walls of his home crumbled, so too did his mental health, and he fell, once again, into depression -- that great darkness where life feels like nothing more than a waste of time. And yet, it is in that great darkness that we discover what really makes us human.

Genres: Memoir, Biography, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

Published October 6, 2016

Reviews

[Brett]

I first came across Michael as a guest on The Blindboy Podcast. It’s the first book of his I’ve read and I’m glad I started with his memoir. A beautiful expression of daily life combined with the broader picture of what it can mean to face aging. It’s gentle and quietly confronting. I’m also now listing to your podcast Michael and I think it’s great.

Just a side note… I read the large print 2017 version. That cover is a crack up. Purple, multiple fonts and an image that really has nothing to do with what’s inside. Anyway good stuff Michael. Loved it.

[Grace Wynne-Jones]

I found this special book when I needed to read something heartfelt and honest with underlying wisdom, and plenty of wry humor for uplift. Immensely grateful to it, a comforting and companionable read.

[Pdrg]

If there was a minus-star rating it would have 10 minus stars.

[Magdelanye]

Stories are fun. They complete the impossible conundrum of existence. How could life have any meaning if there was no story? p97

There is nothing so devious as a man who has lost the thread of his own story. A man who is no longer sure who he is. And there's certainly not much chance of intimacy... with such a beast. p161

It's MHs intimacy with himself that saves him from the bleak feelings that overtakes him from time to time.

like geysers of boiling steam breaking through the frozen ice, my own attraction to religious life was not unassociated with my alternate bouts of melancholy and elation. p64

Maybe I dont believe I exist. p108

the priest says that God will be asking some serious questions. I tell him I'll be asking some heavy duty questions too....p135

there were things in my heart I knew would not survive if I tried to articulate them in simple English. p304

I just surrendered to the sadness and went to bed. p256

Alternatively, he travels, completes his major role in a challenging play, digs deeper into his origins and initiates a major construction project on his home. His gentle honesty and deep connection to the land are inspiring.

Surrounded by strangers at a hostel in Berlin, this book seemed to have been placed there by my reading angel.
More please.

I suppose we're all human and so even standing beside a stranger can be an intimate experience. p175

[Madeleine McCarthy]

Great command of English language

Excellent read beautifully written , easy flowing read with excellent choice of words inspiring and sad all in one... many roads in one life...

[Jeff Brennan]

I like this author and the way he speaks to the readers ,enjoyed this book but found his previous work better, his books are honest and quite funny at times

[Kate]

I m sorry Michael...but really found this book tedious, self indulgent and I wish you could get over your obsession with icons!!

[Paula Scollan]

My Dad likes to read the newspapers and books on wildlife so I was curious when I spotted him reading Harding's 'Talking to Strangers'. So off I went to the reading room to pick up a copy and explore what turned out to be an obsessive, neurotic, peevish and very smart book. A complex work of genius that considers the human condition with all it's complexities. Harding's honesty is again refreshing and he's not afraid to tackle topics that others shy away from. His writing reminds me a little of John McGahern in it's humanity. A rich searching read. Well done.

[Senioreuge]

This was the first Michael Harding book I had read, I'd seen him a number of times on television and he is far better in that scenario than his writing allows. The book is full of his pathos and introspective musings. None the less I really enjoyed the book and did read a further one. Highly recommend this to all readers who think of picking it up.

[Séamas]

Léigh mé an leabhar seo go gasta (domsa). Tá sé soléite; tá an t-údar ábalta Béarla a scríobh go maith, tá sin cinnte. Agus thug an leabhar léargas beag dom maidir le saol teaghlaigh neamhghnách amháin ina dteach beag cóngarach do Loch Aillionn i gContae Liatroma. Ach níl a fhios agam, níl a fhios agam...

[Beverly]

I like the writing style of this author. It’s almost like he is sitting next to you just sharing his thoughts over tea. He’s very open about his life. He is also funny and entertaining. I think I will read more of his books.

[Marie]

Suited me at my time of life when youth has passed and the mind turns to thoughts of what is to come.

[Maria Bigeni]

Not the most compulsive read, but it did provide an insight into the author's most inner thoughts.

[John Meehan]

Another solid book from Harding - reality and loneliness and the love for his beloved makes him someone you can relate to.

[Laura]

I loved Staring at Lakes but this wasn’t quite so appealing. Not as easy to relate to.