Here’s the update from the author, which speaks to the facts of her experience and what it’s been like since the accusations were made: https://www.raynorwinn.co.uk/
Oh that is so good to read - and with information that I so wanted to read.
Thank you Alice for posting that link.
Maybe the lesson for us all is not to jump to conclusions, metaphorically count to 10, and take several deep breaths before launching into our opinions. And preferably not launch into a tirade regardless of our beliefs.
And I feel slightly ashamed that I did make a judgement before I did all that.
And maybe we can all look at our reactions to what hopefully looks like incomplete, incorrect, scrambled, information that was put out there on the internet.
And maybe this realisation, learning, awareness, will make us all better, more honest writers.
I loved the story and the writing. There were parts where I was a little surprised at how the characters managed to continue… however, I think if it’s memoir and supposed to be truthful, then steer clear of real falsehoods. I’d even appreciate a “ the truth as I remember it” caution and would enjoy the book just as well.
I still would walk that journey given the chance. I pray that salted blackberries are a real thing!!
I loved the story and the telling of it, too, and I wish the packaging of it had been more thoughtful and careful—both on the part of the author and perhaps on the publisher’s part, too?
When I read the Observer article, I felt it deep in my stomach - I had loved the unfolding, hopeful possibilities that their journey had opened up for me, and it felt like I had been deceived. Perhaps the spiritual journey was a lie, too? I also felt so guilty - I have talked to so many people about how life-changing Raynor Winn's tale was for me. Perhaps I have been complicit in leading others down the garden path (mea culpa). After some thought, I decided that the quiet fire it lit in me is still there. I am saddened, perhaps, that there are untruths, but I am still glad that she wrote something that remains beautiful, her words drawing me alongside the characters' journey, both physical and internal, along that path. It reminded me of the way we hero-worship and don't want to believe that our heroes are no less human than ourselves. I wonder what the truth of it is, but I also don't want to know. It is possibly somewhere in between, possibly worse, who knows? Would it have ever been published if she was fully honest about how they came to be there? Would we be richer or poorer for it, had it never seen the light of day? Did the journey change them? Did it change us?
Thank you for linking this - I had seen a picture of one of the letters on Instagram, but nothing more. When I commented on a friend's facebook post about there perhaps being more to the story than the somewhat vitriolic Observer article indicated, I was shot down by several other commentators (and withdrew to avoid conflict - not my favourite place).
I’ve tried to keep the conversation very much about what it means when we’re writing and we say we’re telling the truth—and why that matters to readers. It’s easy to end up in a dialogue that has no actual dialogue!
These are such good questions, Cate (and I’m so grateful you pointed me toward this book). I have a fierce and tender memory of listening to audiobook in my car, finding myself lost (and found) in the ocean of the prairies.
I wonder if if would have been published if she’d been honest about the money—my guess is no? As I think about that, I think about the people harmed (possibly?) by her lies and deception even before she wrote the book.
Thanks for getting me to think more about this—it’s very much on my mind.
As a reader, It really doesn’t make any difference to me whether it was all factually true or not. I found it gripping and inspiring and it gave me hope that there’s always a way to walk a different path and turn your life around.
So interesting--I think some readers really feel like this. I know that with the James Frey memoir, when it was found out to be a lie, readers had quite different responses. Thank you for sharing this x
I feel as though I have been duped. Sally/Raynor stole thousands of pounds and then tried to cover it up by getting the man she stole from (her employer) to sign a NDA. Then she and her husband set up a publishing company and offered their house as a prize, despite it being mortgaged to the hilt. If all of this is true, she deserves to pay the price. And we haven’t established whether Moth/Tim is genuinely unwell or not. Utterly despicable if it’s true, I have lost any respect that I once had for a fellow author.
It seems to me that as readers we walk (pun not really intended) with the author. When they tell us a book is fiction, we believe the emotional truth. When they tell us it's memoir, we believe the facts. Facts are IMPORTANT and too easily dropped.
I wonder what the story would have been like if she were more honest in her telling? She's clearly a talented writer. I doubt the deception was necessary to tell a compelling and moving story.
I wrote a note about this on Sunday. For me the book gave me hope. I myself have been through similar life trials, losing my home, business, health problems (though thankfully not terminal). Their story was something I very much related to, and still being in a precarious situation it gave me the hope that if they could triumph over the odds I could, too. I feel duped, but I really feel for all those who have similar health issues as Tim Walker/Moth Winn, for they had been given the hope of delaying or even turning around their prognosis, and that, if not really cruel, is most definitely incredibly insensitive.
Yes, this is so interesting. It is such a hopeful book--and it's hard when that feels like a lie (which it seems to be). I think hope is really vital in fiction, too, but it's earned when we see a character we love change. In this book, the change feels rooted in what was real. Yet none of it/some of it/which part of it is?
I believe I started a comment and then lost it. Ok. Here goes. I would feel deceived if I found out the author fabricated parts of the memoir. I immediately thought of James Frey and the big controversy with his book. Someone once said your character is your destiny; AI says it was Heraclitus, but it could have been another Greek philosopher. If a person is prone to embellishment, then maybe memoir isn't his/her/their best venue for publication in this day and age. We all have to be so careful about nonfiction writing. You just can't make stuff up and mislead people. Oh, here's one. Honesty is the best policy.
I was so disappointed. At first I felt betrayed but then wondered why she didn't just write it as a fiction story based on truth rather than pretend it was all true. She did write some beautiful hopeful fiction. I am sure we have all found hope in thoughtful writing that is definitely fiction, and promoted as such! Look at the highlights in a Kindle book!
But as Cate Whittle (below) asked, would it have been published if she hadn't pretended it was a true story? I don't think so, and we would have missed out on a good story (or 3). I wonder how much of book 2, when she was with her dying mother, was real, or imagined.
I feel sorry for the person in the publishing company who was taken in by her.
And yes, for those who have the same disease as Moth 'had', the hope that was offered has now been ripped away, and I think that is the most despicable thing Sally has done.
I would love it if the accusation was found to be wrong, and just some online nastiness. But I guess there must be some germ of truth in the accusation.
I would have happily read it if it had been marketed as fiction.
Maybe this is a reminder to all of us, not just as authors, to be careful what we say is a truth (sorry, I've got a cold, I can't come, when you don't want to go out on a winter evening - it is winter in NZ).
These are all interesting thoughts (I was very spurred by Cate’s questions, too). I think some of the hope is taken away for readers—and I think some of the hope could have been there still of this had been published as Autofiction. But it’s so hard to tell, isn’t it? I read it as an accurate account and loved it for that—there is something on the pact a writer makes with the reader that is important, I think.
When I read the Observer article, I felt that I had to share it with you immediately, Alice, because I needed help processing the swirl of emotions that I was feeling at the time. Thank you for opening up this discussion and sharing your thoughts as a reader, which have helped me to clarify my own response. I will be honest - I felt a bit betrayed, because as you and others here have said, there is a promise to tell the truth, that the memoirist makes with a reader, which seems to have been broken. It's a messy situation and I am not sure if we will ever know the full truth.
Thank you for sharing the link to Raynor's update. I was hoping that we would hear directly from her. I still know that her writing impacted me, and made me see the world differently as I turned the pages of her book. Perhaps that is what I try to remember from this experience.
Here’s the update from the author, which speaks to the facts of her experience and what it’s been like since the accusations were made: https://www.raynorwinn.co.uk/
Oh that is so good to read - and with information that I so wanted to read.
Thank you Alice for posting that link.
Maybe the lesson for us all is not to jump to conclusions, metaphorically count to 10, and take several deep breaths before launching into our opinions. And preferably not launch into a tirade regardless of our beliefs.
And I feel slightly ashamed that I did make a judgement before I did all that.
And maybe we can all look at our reactions to what hopefully looks like incomplete, incorrect, scrambled, information that was put out there on the internet.
And maybe this realisation, learning, awareness, will make us all better, more honest writers.
I loved the story and the writing. There were parts where I was a little surprised at how the characters managed to continue… however, I think if it’s memoir and supposed to be truthful, then steer clear of real falsehoods. I’d even appreciate a “ the truth as I remember it” caution and would enjoy the book just as well.
I still would walk that journey given the chance. I pray that salted blackberries are a real thing!!
I loved the story and the telling of it, too, and I wish the packaging of it had been more thoughtful and careful—both on the part of the author and perhaps on the publisher’s part, too?
When I read the Observer article, I felt it deep in my stomach - I had loved the unfolding, hopeful possibilities that their journey had opened up for me, and it felt like I had been deceived. Perhaps the spiritual journey was a lie, too? I also felt so guilty - I have talked to so many people about how life-changing Raynor Winn's tale was for me. Perhaps I have been complicit in leading others down the garden path (mea culpa). After some thought, I decided that the quiet fire it lit in me is still there. I am saddened, perhaps, that there are untruths, but I am still glad that she wrote something that remains beautiful, her words drawing me alongside the characters' journey, both physical and internal, along that path. It reminded me of the way we hero-worship and don't want to believe that our heroes are no less human than ourselves. I wonder what the truth of it is, but I also don't want to know. It is possibly somewhere in between, possibly worse, who knows? Would it have ever been published if she was fully honest about how they came to be there? Would we be richer or poorer for it, had it never seen the light of day? Did the journey change them? Did it change us?
Did you see the update from the author? https://www.raynorwinn.co.uk/
Thank you for linking this - I had seen a picture of one of the letters on Instagram, but nothing more. When I commented on a friend's facebook post about there perhaps being more to the story than the somewhat vitriolic Observer article indicated, I was shot down by several other commentators (and withdrew to avoid conflict - not my favourite place).
I’ve tried to keep the conversation very much about what it means when we’re writing and we say we’re telling the truth—and why that matters to readers. It’s easy to end up in a dialogue that has no actual dialogue!
These are such good questions, Cate (and I’m so grateful you pointed me toward this book). I have a fierce and tender memory of listening to audiobook in my car, finding myself lost (and found) in the ocean of the prairies.
I wonder if if would have been published if she’d been honest about the money—my guess is no? As I think about that, I think about the people harmed (possibly?) by her lies and deception even before she wrote the book.
Thanks for getting me to think more about this—it’s very much on my mind.
As a reader, It really doesn’t make any difference to me whether it was all factually true or not. I found it gripping and inspiring and it gave me hope that there’s always a way to walk a different path and turn your life around.
So interesting--I think some readers really feel like this. I know that with the James Frey memoir, when it was found out to be a lie, readers had quite different responses. Thank you for sharing this x
I feel as though I have been duped. Sally/Raynor stole thousands of pounds and then tried to cover it up by getting the man she stole from (her employer) to sign a NDA. Then she and her husband set up a publishing company and offered their house as a prize, despite it being mortgaged to the hilt. If all of this is true, she deserves to pay the price. And we haven’t established whether Moth/Tim is genuinely unwell or not. Utterly despicable if it’s true, I have lost any respect that I once had for a fellow author.
It seems to me that as readers we walk (pun not really intended) with the author. When they tell us a book is fiction, we believe the emotional truth. When they tell us it's memoir, we believe the facts. Facts are IMPORTANT and too easily dropped.
I wonder what the story would have been like if she were more honest in her telling? She's clearly a talented writer. I doubt the deception was necessary to tell a compelling and moving story.
She is such a talented writer--I wonder if (as someone who has perhaps duped people in her life) she finds the truth a malleable thing?
I wrote a note about this on Sunday. For me the book gave me hope. I myself have been through similar life trials, losing my home, business, health problems (though thankfully not terminal). Their story was something I very much related to, and still being in a precarious situation it gave me the hope that if they could triumph over the odds I could, too. I feel duped, but I really feel for all those who have similar health issues as Tim Walker/Moth Winn, for they had been given the hope of delaying or even turning around their prognosis, and that, if not really cruel, is most definitely incredibly insensitive.
Yes, this is so interesting. It is such a hopeful book--and it's hard when that feels like a lie (which it seems to be). I think hope is really vital in fiction, too, but it's earned when we see a character we love change. In this book, the change feels rooted in what was real. Yet none of it/some of it/which part of it is?
I believe I started a comment and then lost it. Ok. Here goes. I would feel deceived if I found out the author fabricated parts of the memoir. I immediately thought of James Frey and the big controversy with his book. Someone once said your character is your destiny; AI says it was Heraclitus, but it could have been another Greek philosopher. If a person is prone to embellishment, then maybe memoir isn't his/her/their best venue for publication in this day and age. We all have to be so careful about nonfiction writing. You just can't make stuff up and mislead people. Oh, here's one. Honesty is the best policy.
Yes, all good points. Thanks, Regina (good to hear from you). I think a lot of readers do feel deceived.
I was so disappointed. At first I felt betrayed but then wondered why she didn't just write it as a fiction story based on truth rather than pretend it was all true. She did write some beautiful hopeful fiction. I am sure we have all found hope in thoughtful writing that is definitely fiction, and promoted as such! Look at the highlights in a Kindle book!
But as Cate Whittle (below) asked, would it have been published if she hadn't pretended it was a true story? I don't think so, and we would have missed out on a good story (or 3). I wonder how much of book 2, when she was with her dying mother, was real, or imagined.
I feel sorry for the person in the publishing company who was taken in by her.
And yes, for those who have the same disease as Moth 'had', the hope that was offered has now been ripped away, and I think that is the most despicable thing Sally has done.
I would love it if the accusation was found to be wrong, and just some online nastiness. But I guess there must be some germ of truth in the accusation.
I would have happily read it if it had been marketed as fiction.
Maybe this is a reminder to all of us, not just as authors, to be careful what we say is a truth (sorry, I've got a cold, I can't come, when you don't want to go out on a winter evening - it is winter in NZ).
Thank you for starting this conversation, Alice.
These are all interesting thoughts (I was very spurred by Cate’s questions, too). I think some of the hope is taken away for readers—and I think some of the hope could have been there still of this had been published as Autofiction. But it’s so hard to tell, isn’t it? I read it as an accurate account and loved it for that—there is something on the pact a writer makes with the reader that is important, I think.
Thank you so much, by the way, Kiyomi, for sharing the news with me in the first place.
When I read the Observer article, I felt that I had to share it with you immediately, Alice, because I needed help processing the swirl of emotions that I was feeling at the time. Thank you for opening up this discussion and sharing your thoughts as a reader, which have helped me to clarify my own response. I will be honest - I felt a bit betrayed, because as you and others here have said, there is a promise to tell the truth, that the memoirist makes with a reader, which seems to have been broken. It's a messy situation and I am not sure if we will ever know the full truth.
Thank you for sharing the link to Raynor's update. I was hoping that we would hear directly from her. I still know that her writing impacted me, and made me see the world differently as I turned the pages of her book. Perhaps that is what I try to remember from this experience.