‘Mesmerising . . . an extraordinary piece of writing.’ – The i paper
‘A book that has the rare quality of being both poetic and accessible . . . missing Delicacy would be a huge mistake.’ – Guardian
‘A book that gets wiser, darker, and more brutally truthful every time you turn the page. Word of mouth is slowly turning it into a passionately recommended cult hit. A book you give a friend in trouble.’ – Caitlin Moran
‘Hilarious . . . heartbreaking.’ – The Observer
‘A layer cake of truth, pain and wisdom iced with charm. I loved it.’ – Sue Perkins
From award-winning comedian and writer Katy Wix comes Delicacy – a different kind of memoir from an astonishing new voice. Twenty-one snapshots of a life – some staccato, raw and shocking, some expansive, meditative, and profound, underpinned with moments of startling humour that shatter the darkness – all beginning with a single memory. A memory of cake.
The sickly royal icing marked the moment Katy found her voice. The madeira cake was the sun her group therapy sessions orbited. The ‘missing cake’ from a lost holiday has never let go. The Bara brith eaten in hospital after a life-altering car crash was as tough as the metal that hit her. The supermarket rock cake was where she ‘practised wanting’.
Shocking, raw, darkly funny and deeply humane, Katy Wix’s exploration of trauma, grief, addiction, love, loss, memory and hope is truly unforgettable.
‘Painfully raw and incredibly funny’ – Simon Amstell
‘A book that offers many pleasures . . . hectically funny, eloquently angry.’ – TLS
‘Katy sees the world like no one else and deciphers it with extraordinary beauty. Delicacy took my breath away’ – Lolly Adefope
‘Heartbreaking, ridiculously clever and laugh out loud funny. One of the best books on trauma I’ve ever read’
– Scarlett Curtis
‘Fabulous story-telling and completely delicious writing’ – Cariad Lloyd, host of Griefcast
‘Katy is a stunning writer, seamlessly moving between bitingly funny moments and moments that make you violently, cathartically sob at 2am. An absolute belter of a book that stays with you’ – Roisin Conaty
‘Brilliantly original, funny and insightful. Dry and comic, but also very moving. I absolutely loved Delicacy‘ – Katy Brand
‘Gentle, heartbreaking, laugh out loud funny and poetically told – an intimate memoir that stays with you’
– Rose Matafeo
‘A stunning book in which darkness and light, tragedy and humour, pain and hope are all masterfully, affectingly balanced’ – Liam Williams
‘Deeply comforting in how relatable it is, hilarious, and moving. I felt like this book was my best friend as soon as I started reading it’
– Mae Martin
‘Brimming with graceful, charming writing – this book perfectly encapsulates so many moments we face as girls and women and I only wish I’d read it sooner’ – Kiri Pritchard-McLean
‘Honest, raw, profound, deeply moving and funny’ – Bridget Christie
‘A book that has the rare quality of being both poetic and accessible . . . missing Delicacy would be a huge mistake.’ – Guardian
‘A book that gets wiser, darker, and more brutally truthful every time you turn the page. Word of mouth is slowly turning it into a passionately recommended cult hit. A book you give a friend in trouble.’ – Caitlin Moran
‘Hilarious . . . heartbreaking.’ – The Observer
‘A layer cake of truth, pain and wisdom iced with charm. I loved it.’ – Sue Perkins
From award-winning comedian and writer Katy Wix comes Delicacy – a different kind of memoir from an astonishing new voice. Twenty-one snapshots of a life – some staccato, raw and shocking, some expansive, meditative, and profound, underpinned with moments of startling humour that shatter the darkness – all beginning with a single memory. A memory of cake.
The sickly royal icing marked the moment Katy found her voice. The madeira cake was the sun her group therapy sessions orbited. The ‘missing cake’ from a lost holiday has never let go. The Bara brith eaten in hospital after a life-altering car crash was as tough as the metal that hit her. The supermarket rock cake was where she ‘practised wanting’.
Shocking, raw, darkly funny and deeply humane, Katy Wix’s exploration of trauma, grief, addiction, love, loss, memory and hope is truly unforgettable.
‘Painfully raw and incredibly funny’ – Simon Amstell
‘A book that offers many pleasures . . . hectically funny, eloquently angry.’ – TLS
‘Katy sees the world like no one else and deciphers it with extraordinary beauty. Delicacy took my breath away’ – Lolly Adefope
‘Heartbreaking, ridiculously clever and laugh out loud funny. One of the best books on trauma I’ve ever read’
– Scarlett Curtis
‘Fabulous story-telling and completely delicious writing’ – Cariad Lloyd, host of Griefcast
‘Katy is a stunning writer, seamlessly moving between bitingly funny moments and moments that make you violently, cathartically sob at 2am. An absolute belter of a book that stays with you’ – Roisin Conaty
‘Brilliantly original, funny and insightful. Dry and comic, but also very moving. I absolutely loved Delicacy‘ – Katy Brand
‘Gentle, heartbreaking, laugh out loud funny and poetically told – an intimate memoir that stays with you’
– Rose Matafeo
‘A stunning book in which darkness and light, tragedy and humour, pain and hope are all masterfully, affectingly balanced’ – Liam Williams
‘Deeply comforting in how relatable it is, hilarious, and moving. I felt like this book was my best friend as soon as I started reading it’
– Mae Martin
‘Brimming with graceful, charming writing – this book perfectly encapsulates so many moments we face as girls and women and I only wish I’d read it sooner’ – Kiri Pritchard-McLean
‘Honest, raw, profound, deeply moving and funny’ – Bridget Christie
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Reviews
Painfully raw and incredibly funny
Katy sees the world like no one else and deciphers it with extraordinary beauty. Delicacy took my breath away
Fabulous story-telling and completely delicious writing
Brilliantly original, funny and insightful. Dry and comic, but also very moving. I absolute loved Delicacy
Gentle, heartbreaking, laugh out loud funny and poetically told - an intimate memoir that stays with you
Deeply comforting in how relatable it is, hilarious, and moving. I felt like this book was my best friend as soon as I started reading it
Brimming with graceful, charming writing - this book perfectly encapsulates so many moments we face as girls and women and I only wish I'd read it sooner
Honest, raw, profound, deeply moving and funny
An exquisite and important book. Delicacy is funny and sad and beautiful
Katy has one of the most singular and enviable minds working today (and tomorrow)
A stunning book in which darkness and light, tragedy and humour, pain and hope are all masterfully, affectingly balanced.
A layer cake of truth, pain and wisdom iced with charm. I loved it.
Heartbreaking, ridiculously clever and laugh out loud funny. One of the best books on trauma I've ever read.
Mesmerising . . . an extraordinary piece of writing
Mesmerising . . . an extraordinary piece of writing.
Painfully vivid . . . insightful.
Wix is such an astonishingly good writer that she makes this into an unlikely page-turner. She turns her pain into poetry: intimate, candid, exquisitely described, deftly using words rich with grace, pain and power.
Raw, profound and relatable.
A book that offers many pleasures . . . hectically funny, eloquently angry.
A book that gets wiser, darker, and more brutally truthful every time you turn the page. Word of mouth is slowly turning it into a passionately recommended cult hit. A book you give a friend in trouble - like a shot of whisky, or a life raft. Or, like the book suggests, cake.
Wix is showing a different side to herself, not only demonstrating her talents as a gifted writer but laying bare traumatic parts of her life with an honesty and openness that might surprise fans of her TV work.
It is mesmerisingly good.
Hilarious, heartbreaking...She's a writer with impressive range, and Delicacy is entertaining and affecting.