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Rosamund Lupton's love affair with the Northern Alaskan landscape, Does anorexia have a genetic link?

Rosamund Lupton talks about her latest novel. Plus a discussion on whether eating disorders have a genetic link and how to help people recover faster. With Jane Garvey.

Her first novel, Sister, was the fastest selling by a debut author and is due to be made into a film starring Emily Blunt. Rosamund Lupton's latest thriller, set in the extreme landscape of Northern Alaska features a woman and her profoundly deaf 10 year old daughter trying to find out the truth about the disappearance of her husband. Jane Garvey talks to her about the new book and her love affair with Alaska.

Do eating disorders have a genetic link? And could early intervention, help sufferers of anorexia and bulimia recover faster.

Author Georgina Howell talks about her book Queen of the Desert - this week's Radio 4 Book of the Week. It's a biography Gertrude Bell drawn from letters written throughout her life and documents her phenomenal rise through the all-male ranks of military intelligence. But who is the real Gertrude Bell?

Presented by Jane Garvey
Producer Beverley Purcell.

Available now

45 minutes

Professor Cynthia Bulik – AN25K Initiative

Anorexia nervosa has some of the highest rates of death of any psychiatric disease. From an outsider’s perspective, anorexia may seem like nothing more than bad eating habits. But the disorder is far more complex, and experts have long believed that eating disorders have a genetic component. AN25K is trying to collect 25 000 DNA samples from people who have suffered from anorexia in order to understand what makes some people more predisposed to an eating disorder. In the UK aims to get 1 000 samples for the project. The Principle Research Investigator for AN25K, Professor Cindy Bulik, talks to Jane about why she wanted to start the mission and what she hopes it will achieve.

Anorexia Early Intervention Trial

FREED is a pilot scheme trying to treat eating disorder patients earlier than they would normally on the NHS. Their initial findings show that by treating people with early intervention, sufferers of anorexia and bulimia are more likely to make a faster full recovery. To find out more, Jane is joined by Ulrike Schmit, Professor of Eating Disorders at Kings College London and one of the leaders of the scheme, and by Issy Jackson, a participant in the study.

Rosamund Lupton

Her first novel, Sister, was the fastest selling by a debut author and is due to be made into a film starring Emily Blunt. Rosamund Lupton’s latest thriller, set in the extreme landscape of Northern Alaska features a woman and her profoundly deaf 10 year old daughter trying to find out the truth about the disappearance of her husband. The Quality of Silence is told from the point of view of both mother and daughter as they struggle to communicate in this deadly and hostile environment.

Queen of the Desert – Life of Gertrude Bell

The upcoming release of Werner Herzog's film Queen of the Desert (starring Nicole Kidman) will shed light on the extraordinary life of Gertrude Bell.  The film, based on Georgina Howell’s biography, is drawn from letters written extensively throughout Bell’s life and documents her phenomenal rise through the all-male ranks of military intelligence and casts light on the history of Iraq. Georgina Howell talks to Jane Garvey about the real Gertrude Bell.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jane Garvey
Interviewed Guest Ulrike Schmidt
Interviewed Guest Issy Jackson
Interviewed Guest Cynthia Bulik
Interviewed Guest Georgina Howell
Interviewed Guest Rosamund Lupton
Producer Beverley Purcell

Broadcast

  • Mon 29 Jun 2015 10:00

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