You Left Early : A True Story of Love and Alcohol

Author: Young, Louisa

Memoirs

Published on 4 April 2019 by HarperCollins Publishers (The Borough Press) in the United Kingdom.

‘Extraordinarily powerful’ Emma Thompson

There are a million love stories, and a million stories of addiction. This one is transcendent.

Louisa Young met Robert Lockhart when they were both 17. Their stop-start romance lasted decades, in which time he became a celebrated composer and she, an acclaimed novelist.

This is both a compelling portrait of a lifelong love affair, and an incredibly affecting guide to how the partner of a 'charismatic, infuriating, adorable, self-sabotaging’ alcoholic can find the strength to survive when the disease rips both their lives apart.

‘Rich and moving and beautifully written’ The Times

‘Spectacular. I can’t stop thinking about it’ Cathy Rentzenbrink

‘Extraordinarily candid’ Evening Standard

‘Beautiful, and heartbreaking, and true’ Sam Baker, The Pool

‘Moving, harrowing and tirelessly empathetic’ Daily Express