Supermodel-actor-cancer survivor Lisa Ray, who is all set to publish her debut book, says she attempts to remove the mask people hide behind and hopes that by sharing her harrowing journey, she will come out stronger while also helping others become stronger.
'Close to the Bone' is an insightful travelogue of Lisa's life-changing experiences, which goes beyond the memoir and will be out in May, publisher HarperCollins India says. According to Lisa, 'Close to the Bone' is not a memoir but her writing debut.
"It has taken years and it's been worth the effort. When I began writing this book, I realised that my disease did not happen in isolation from the rest of my life. Life and experience have taught me many lessons, and today, I have the ability to honour all the places I've been, and a drive to find deeper meaning and truth. In writing the book in my 40s, I have the perfect vantage point from which to understand that I am more beautiful for having been broken, and that I am living my best life on my own terms," she says.
Lisa sees the book as an offering.
"I truly hope that, in sharing the harrowing journey back to myself, I will come out stronger and that the book will make others stronger. It is honest, raw, an attempt to remove the mask we all hide behind. It's a way to rise in truth and love. It's my attempt to take back my story and voice - as a woman - and a way to connect with all the wounds and tender aches that make us human. There is humour. And tragedy. And celebration. Just like life," she says.
Lisa was first approached to write a book after she documented her 2009 cancer diagnosis with multiple myeloma in a blog called 'The Yellow Diaries'.
"This is the story of Lisa Ray. An unflinching, deeply moving account of her nomadic existence: her stumbling into the Indian entertainment industry at sixteen; her relationship with her Bengali father and Polish mother; life on the movie sets and her brush with the Oscars; her battle with eating disorders; being diagnosed with multiple myeloma at 37; her spiritual quest; lovers and traitors, mentors and dream-makers; and the heartaches and triumphs along the way. It is also about Lisa's pursuit of love," the publisher said.
Lisa is a well-known advocate for cancer awareness through her writing and public talks. She writes poetry centred on identity and a life of no fixed address. She recently announced the birth of her twin daughters via surrogacy, writing and speaking about it as a way to normalise fertility options and choices for others. Her long and serendipitous career in the modelling and entertainment arts began when, at 16, she appeared on the cover of Gladrags, an image that made her an overnight sensation.
Lisa also starred in Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's famous 'Afreen Afreen' video. One of India's first supermodels, Lisa made several forays into acting, memorably in the Oscar-nominated 'Water', and television ('Top Chef Canada' and 'Oh My Gold').
She was recently seen in the Amazon Prime Video's original series 'Four More Shots Please!' and her upcoming acting releases include A R Rahman's first production, '99 Songs'.
