Review by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
A Fraction Stronger: Finding Belief and Possibility in Life’s Impossible Moments is a work of non-fiction in the memoir subgenre. It is suitable for the general reading audience and was penned by author Mark Berridge. The book follows the author's road to recovery in the aftermath of a near-fatal bicycle accident in which his spine was damaged. After almost a year in intensive rehabilitation, the difficult journey to overcoming the aftershock of a split-second incident is laid out in this work along with the insight that comes with living through such an ordeal.
The secret ingredient to elevating a simple memoir of adversity into something that is profound in its insight and capacity to help the reader through their own difficulties is honesty and openness from the author, and such sincerity is on show on every page of this book. Author Mark Berridge’s experience was an extraordinarily painful one, and his journey to recovery was long and difficult, but through his willingness to be vulnerable in his writing he has used his pain and adversity to create something that I sincerely feel will be of value to others going through the difficult process of physical
recovery. There is a sense of solidarity that can be found here, of support from someone who has been to the edge and brought themselves back. It is a work that places a reassuring hand on the reader's shoulder and tells them that they will survive their hardships.
Overall, A Fraction Stronger is a powerful memoir that uses beautiful prose to depict both adversity and rehabilitation in a way that inspires hope in the reader.
