In her twenties, Esther Rutter experienced a severe mental crisis while teaching English in Japan. After being treated in a Japanese psychiatric facility, her recovery began when she came to live and work at Dove Cottage, the home of William and Dorothy Wordsworth, in the Lake District.

Here, amidst the beauty of the mountainous landscape and the unique heritage of the Wordsworths, Esther started to recover. Like the Wordsworths, who sought Dove Cottage due to the displacement experienced in their childhood, Esther realized she was searching for a place to feel at home and at peace with herself. In the life and writings of the Wordsworths, she discovered an approach to understanding herself, as complex as Freud's psychoanalysis, focusing on personal introspection and the value of the common people's experiences.

Within the community of her fellow poets and residents, she formed lifelong friendships and, ultimately, love. All Before Me is a poignant and absorbing narrative of the journey of self-discovery during the transition to adulthood, intertwined with the stories of the Wordsworth siblings at Dove Cottage. In the beautiful settlement of Town End, where a cultural era was shaped that would define our way of experiencing the world, Esther found the spirit of the place that supported her and enabled her to move forward.

Pages: 352, Dimensions: 14.3x14.3cm