Tara Lal’s childhood was battered by her father’s mental illness and by her mother’s death when she was thirteen. Caught up in grief and despair, she developed a deep, caring bond with her charismatic and kind older brother Adam, though he struggled silently with growing anxiety and depression. Four years after their mother’s death, Adam committed suicide. Grief and insecurity threatened to engulf Tara, but eventually she found, through a dialogue with the words her brother left behind in his diaries, her reason to live.

Tara Lal is an author, firefighter and mental health first aid instructor. She was born in London but now lives in Sydney, Australia. Tara is a PhD candidate and works with various leading mental health charities to conduct research and raise awareness of suicide and mental illness. In October 2020, Tara is cycling 5000km unsupported across Australia, the equivalent of cycling from England to America for Lifeline, Australia’s leading service provider in suicide prevention. www.tarajlal.com