London


<p>It&#8217;s an exciting start to 2025 for author and Londoner Sarah Handyside, who is about to launch her debut novel,<em> Instructions for Heartbreak</em>.  Currently a government policy advisor, Sarah might be happily settled with a husband and two kids now, but her book&#8217;s loosely based on a devastating spilt she went through in her 20s &#8211; and the friends and places that helped mend her broken heart. </p>



<p>Muddy caught up with her before the launch of the novel on <strong>30 Jan</strong> and quizzed her about everything from her writing process to all the best spots in  London that can help bring you back to life after a relationship split. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="683" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/thumbnail_Sarah-Handyside-author-photo-1-683x1024.jpg" alt="Sarah Handyside " class="wp-image-8121" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/thumbnail_Sarah-Handyside-author-photo-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/thumbnail_Sarah-Handyside-author-photo-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/thumbnail_Sarah-Handyside-author-photo-1-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/thumbnail_Sarah-Handyside-author-photo-1-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/thumbnail_Sarah-Handyside-author-photo-1-1367x2048.jpg 1367w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/thumbnail_Sarah-Handyside-author-photo-1.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-this-is-your-debut-novel-congrats-what-s-it-all-about-nbsp"><strong>This is your debut novel, congrats! What&#8217;s it all about?&nbsp;</strong></h2>



<p>Thank you! <em>Instructions for Heartbreak</em> is part-novel, part manual for the broken-hearted. When Katie’s boyfriend unceremoniously dumps her, her three best friends rally around to share lessons from their own heartbreaks and to help her navigate everything from the big (where is she going to live?) to the small (what’s the perfect heartbreak movie?) In doing so, they each grapple with the scars left on their own hearts – and the limitations of their own advice.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-long-did-it-take-to-create-from-idea-to-publication-nbsp"><strong>How long did it take to create, from idea to publication?&nbsp;</strong></h2>



<p>Longer than I expected! I had the first spark of an idea back in late 2016. I dabbled with bits of writing on and off, and eventually entered an initial 10,000 words in the 2019 Curtis Brown First Novel Prize, which has since morphed into the Discoveries Prize for unpublished women writers. I got longlisted, which was a huge boost in itself and also introduced me to Lucy Morris, one of the agents who was on the judging panel.&nbsp;</p>



<p>When I (finally) finished a first draft in 2021 I sent it to Lucy and she signed me in the autumn of that year. I had my first baby a couple of months later so it was quite a frenetic time! We spent a little over a year editing it and went on submission in early 2023. I signed with Pan Macmillan a few weeks later – shortly before I had my second baby. They wanted to publish in January 2025, so it was nearly two years from doing the deal to actually seeing a finished book.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="640" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/thumbnail_Instructions-for-Heartbreak-640x1024.png" alt="Instructions for Heartbreak " class="wp-image-8091" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/thumbnail_Instructions-for-Heartbreak-640x1024.png 640w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/thumbnail_Instructions-for-Heartbreak-188x300.png 188w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/thumbnail_Instructions-for-Heartbreak-768x1229.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/thumbnail_Instructions-for-Heartbreak-960x1536.png 960w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/thumbnail_Instructions-for-Heartbreak-1280x2048.png 1280w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/thumbnail_Instructions-for-Heartbreak.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tell-us-about-your-writing-process"><strong>Tell us about your writing process</strong></h2>



<p>When I was first writing <em>Instructions </em>I was a freelancer and PhD student and had a very flexible schedule – particularly during the Covid lockdowns. Now, I’m writing around a full-time job and two toddlers. It’s forced me into becoming a careful planner – I have a pretty detailed act by act, chapter by chapter plan for my second novel which I’m working through at the moment. And writing largely takes place during my lunch breaks or in the evenings.</p>



<p>I like being a planner though – there’s something grounding in knowing where I want to end up, even though it’s always surprising to see what emerges during the writing – I always thought it was nonsense when people said things like ‘my characters ended up doing xyz on their own’, but I really have felt it.</p>



<p>Lucy is a brilliantly editorial agent and I’ve learned so much from her in terms of pacing a story and getting inside the heads of my characters.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-any-writer-s-block-and-if-so-how-did-you-overcome-it-nbsp"><strong>Any writer&#8217;s block, and if so how did you overcome it?&nbsp;</strong></h2>



<p>Before I had an agent or a publisher, I was quite hot and cold with writing <em>Instructions</em> – or anything else. I’d have phases of making loads of progress, and phases where I lost interest, thought it was terrible or just went out partying or doing other things instead.</p>



<p>Eventually, I had the not-very-sophisticated epiphany that if I was serious about wanting to write a novel, then I needed to sit down and do the work. I could complain all I liked about not feeling inspired or not having time but ultimately, it was a simple choice – write it, or don’t.</p>



<p>That’s not to say there aren’t days when it feels easier than others, but the best way of getting through that is to just carry on writing. Even if all you manage one day is a sentence or two, the overarching momentum is hugely important.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-book-s-based-on-personal-experience-tell-us-more"><strong>The book&#8217;s based on personal experience, tell us more&#8230;</strong></h2>



<p>I went through a breakup in my twenties and it absolutely floored me. Which was a surprise in some ways, because it was a pretty decent breakup. No one had cheated or behaved badly, and although he initiated it I definitely knew it was for the best – even if I didn’t want to accept that straight away.</p>



<p>But yeah – it was absolutely devastating. Part of my way of trying to navigate it was a slightly unhinged – or, being kinder, a very human – search for concrete solutions, self-help style. I did lots of googling, listened to lots of podcasts and absolutely hammered my friends with questions about their own experiences.</p>



<p>That’s where the handbook element of <em>Instructions for Heartbreak</em> comes from – short sections which close each chapter, sharing the lessons these women have learned about how to heal heartbreak. &nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sarah-s-london-places-to-overcome-heartbreak"><strong>SARAH&#8217;S LONDON PLACES TO OVERCOME HEARTBREAK</strong></h2>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-parkland-w-a-lk-finsbury-park"><strong><a href="https://www.parkland-walk.org.uk">Parkland W</a><a href="https://www.parkland-walk.org.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a</a><a href="https://www.parkland-walk.org.uk">lk</a></strong>, Finsbury Park </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Parkland Walk Documentary" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qh0VzfSQgd0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>The breakup that inspired <em>Instructions </em>left me sofa-surfing for a few weeks while I found a new flat. I spent some of that time with two of my closest friends at their place in Finsbury Park – somewhere I’d lived in myself a few years previously. One of my most enduring memories from that time is wandering up the Parkland Walk with my friends Al and Skelt, unpacking the minutiae of the breakup and what I was going to do next. I’m a big fan of the walk and talk – Freud might have liked a couch, but I think it’s often easier to get to the emotional heart of a subject whilst you’re on the move. The Parkland Walk is the perfect length for putting the world to rights and, just as importantly, it takes you past a lot of very good pubs.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bar-italia-soho"><strong><a href="http://baritaliasoho.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bar Italia</a></strong>, Soho </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/05-5-1024x1024-1-1024x1024.jpg" alt="Bar Italia in soho" class="wp-image-8089" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/05-5-1024x1024-1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/05-5-1024x1024-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/05-5-1024x1024-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/05-5-1024x1024-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/05-5-1024x1024-1-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/05-5-1024x1024-1-1100x1100.jpg 1100w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/05-5-1024x1024-1.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>There is something particularly comforting about places that have endured for a long time. Sense of perspective and all that. Bar Italia in Soho is an absolute institution – and the coffee is very good. A strong Americano or five will get you through those sleepless nights and whiplash your senses out of the grey.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-myla-and-davis-deptford"><strong><a href="https://mylaanddavis.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Myla and Davis</a></strong>, Deptford</h2>



<p>Cutting off your hair in the midst of heartbreak is definitely a risky strategy, but if you’re going to do it, you want to go somewhere where they know what they’re doing. At Myla and Davis in Deptford, they do.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-van-gogh-in-the-national-gallery-trafalgar-square"><strong><a href="https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Van Gogh in the National Gallery</a></strong>, Trafalgar Square</h2>



<p>Because I am extremely sentimental, I cannot watch the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubTJI_UphPk">Doctor Who/Van Gogh scene</a> without sobbing. It cuts to the core of a very specific kind of heartbreak – of someone not knowing how much they were – they are – truly loved. And because I am extremely basic, my favourite Van Gogh painting is <em>The Starry Night</em> (or perhaps <em>Café Terrace at Night</em>). Neither of which are in London. But in the National Gallery you <em>can </em>stand in front of <em>A Wheatfield, with Cypresses</em> – which, as the focus of a series of art lessons when I was a kid, I find deeply, deeply nostalgic. And when to indulge nostalgia if not when you are heartbroken?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rowans-finsbury-park"><strong><a href="https://rowans.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rowans</a></strong>, Finsbury Park </h2>



<p>Every heartbreak needs at least one ridiculous, sticky, irresponsible night out. And where else can you combine bowling, karaoke booths and vaguely alarming alcoholic slushies?&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-good-pub"><strong>A good pub</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/Unknown-6-1024x576.jpeg" alt="Faltering Fullback pub " class="wp-image-8093" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/Unknown-6-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/Unknown-6-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/Unknown-6-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/Unknown-6.jpeg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>You’re going to need far more than a single pub to heal a broken heart. Some of my favourites include <a href="https://falteringfullback.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Faltering Fullback</a>: I may have quit smoking now, but heartbreak has a way of undoing your most concrete resolutions. The Fullback still has the city’s best beer garden for a cigarette. <a href="https://www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/prospect-of-whitby" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Prospect of Whitby</a> in Wapping: It’s telling how many of my <a href="https://sarahhandyside.substack.com/">Heartbreak Seven</a> guests prescribe being next to water as a way to soothe a broken heart. London has a <em>lot </em>of fantastic riverside pubs, but this is one of the loveliest. <a href="https://plumegreenwich.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Plume of Feathers</a>: As a Greenwich resident, I definitely need to give a shout-out to this lovely local – right by the most beautiful park in the city, and reassuringly old-school in aesthetic.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-place-for-pasta"><strong>A place for pasta</strong></h2>



<p>Pasta has to be up there with the very best comfort food. <a href="https://marcella.london/">Marcella</a> and <a href="https://www.flourandgrape.com/">Flour and Grape</a> are both divine.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-porchester-spa-westminster"><strong><a href="https://www.porchesterspatreatments.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Porchester Spa</a></strong>, Westminster </h2>



<p>When you’ve been crying/ drinking/ eating ice cream on an hourly basis, there comes a point where you need to feel good about yourself again. Obviously London has any number of incredible spas, and if you want to spend hundreds of pounds getting massaged in a five-star hotel then I absolutely applaud you. But if you don’t want to feel like your heartbreak has also massacred your bank balance then the Porchester Spa in Westminster is the place for you.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-southwark-churchyard-amp-herb-garden"><strong><a href="https://cathedral.southwark.anglican.org/visiting/churchyard-herb-garden/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Southwark Churchyard &amp; Herb Garden</a></strong></h2>



<p>It’s worthwhile, in your heartbroken state, to have some oases up your sleeve. Places you can dive into for a moment of calm and serenity when things are otherwise frenetic. If in doubt, look for a churchyard. This, in the grounds of Southwark Cathedral, is particularly peaceful.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-point-blackheath"><strong><a href="https://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/directory_record/3758/blackheath" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Point</a></strong>, Blackheath </h2>



<p>A London heartbreak demands that at some point you get up high and gaze across this extraordinary city of ours and think about how small you are, how big the world is and all the people you have yet to meet. Sure, you could go to Parliament Hill, site of a hundred film scenes, but <a href="https://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/directory_record/3758/blackheath">the Point</a> is altogether calmer, quieter and offers a different perspective. Vital, I think, when healing a broken heart.</p>



<p><strong><em>Meet the author in person at <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/events/in-conversation-with-sarah-handyside/london-greenwich" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">In Conversation with Sarah Handyside</a>, 6 Feb, 7-8pm at Waterstones in Greenwich. </em></strong></p>


Author Sarah Handyside reveals how London can help mend a broken heart

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