Amy Liptrot grew up on the Orkney Islands and couldn’t wait to escape.

Drawn like a moth to the flaming lights of London, she partied and drank until she entirely burned out.

An emotional husk, she headed home to the desolate beauty of her childhood home with her heart in tatters, unsure about everything in her life.

Bracing sea swims, watching sea birds sweep over cloudy skies and chilly nights spent tracing the path of stars and satellites begin to restore her sense of wellbeing and wonder, as conveyed in this clear-eyed and brave memoir.

The Outrun by Amy Liptrot (Canongate, £14.99) is out now. See where you can attend a reader event here