Book review: Fingers In The Sparkle Jar: A Memoir by Chris Packham

The diversity and beauty of life is the metaphor for the eponymous sparkle jar in this very unconventional memoir from Springwatch presenter and conservationist Chris Packham.

It’s written largely in the third person, offering a glimpse of his life from the age of six to 16 in the Sixties and Seventies, an awkward, socially inept child who was bullied and became a solitary observer of wildlife, from ladybirds, grass snakes and tadpoles to fox cubs, bats and otters.

He charts his remarkable bond with a kestrel he took from its nest illegally, an act that would change his life forever.

The memoir takes a darker turn in short, italicized chapters dated nearly 30 years later, in 2003 and 2004, when he – again in the third person – chats to a therapist about his suicidal thoughts, omitting a clear catalyst for his then state of mind.

The gaps of information leave the reader longing to find out more about how this wildlife-obsessed kid came out of the depths of depression to make his way in the world.

Published by Ebury