In 4 Books, we ask an author to answer 4 questions on the books that made them — on those books that made a significant impact at distinct junctures of their lives.

It might be the book that guided them through a break up, the one that they press urgently into a friends’ hand, the book that best articulates love, or the book that opened up the world in a startling new way.

Reading has a unique power to universalise the most private of experiences, and the books we turn to can reveal more about ourselves than we think. In 4 Books, we use literature to glimpse the inner life of our authors.

Our guest today is Decca Aitkenhead; an award-winning journalist (Catherine Pakenham Award

1996, Interviewer of the Year in 2009) for The Guardian newspaper, where she interviews leading figures in public life.

Her new book, All At Sea, is out now, published by 4th Estate Books.