Skins' Hannah Murray for The Make-Believe

From the actor known for _Skins_ and _Games of Throne_, a deeply intimate, shockingly honest memoir about acting, fame, mental illness and the struggle to leave a cult-like organisation whose belief in magic shattered Hannah's reality.In 2017, Hannah Murray was a successful actor whose career had taken her to Hollywood and given her the opportunity to act with A list stars and Oscar-winning directors.

But as the daily costs of acting grew, from the degradations of auditions to repeating violent scenes over and over, Hannah found herself searching for something to make her feel better.

One day, a reiki healer promises her a new kind of treatment, a kind of magic.

Suddenly, her life changed.Back in London, she is increasingly involved with the organisation whose charismatic leader promises secret knowledge.

The complex rituals are seductive, cult-like, and ultimately destructive.

Hannah finds herself on a week-long course from her friends and family, and her sanity falls apart.

Detained in hospital, she struggles to understand the difference between what's real, and what's imagined.

The result is a propulsive, shockingly honest, and extraordinarily intimate portrayal of a mind taken over the edge.From the outer edges of fame, through Hollywood film sets and London parties, Hannah's life has slowly moved from that of a successful starlet to that of a young woman seduced by the magical thinking of an organisation that promises health and happiness beyond her wildest dreams, but her reality becomes far more disturbing than she could ever have imagined.Shocking, intimate, and compulsive, _The Make-Believe_ is an ultimately uplifting and inspiring story of empathy, resilience, and the power of belief.'EXTRAORDINARY, PROPULSIVE, IMMERSIVE ...

LIKE NOTHING I HAVE EVER READ BEFORE' DOLLY ALDERTONHANNAH MURRAY worked as an actor for over a decade, starring in E4's Skins and HBO's Game of Thrones.

She studied English at Cambridge University and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. _The Make-Believe_ is her first book.Photograph by Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO.