A bittersweet coming-of-age memoir from a debut author about losing a parent and the power of laughter to hold a family together

When Freddy was 21 years old, his dad, a larger-than-life, successful TV producer, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive type of brain cancer.

Collected and expanded from Freddy’s journal at the time and interspersed with entries from his stepmother’s medical notes, Don’t Put Yourself on Toast is a record of his father’s struggle for life and Freddy’s attempt to hold his family together using all the fun he can muster.

In startlingly vivid snapshots Freddy takes us from the entertaining antics of ‘the most inappropriate wine gum toss competition ever attempted in a hospital ward’; to the comic-tragic deciphering of his father’s muddled riddles as his speech disintegrates; to painful moments of regret and self-loathing, as he squanders precious time.

This heartrending portrayal of a world turned upside down offers a reminder of the power of humour and laughter to provide, even in our darkest moments, sustenance, comfort and hope.