“Hold Fast: Motherhood, my autistic daughter and me” by Catherine Simpson 

On Sunday Morning whilst storm Amy was sweeping up the sand on Portobello beach, the annual festival welcomed its local community for day three. 

Away from the howling wind, in the cosy upstairs of Portobello library, Catherine and Nina, surrounded by a group of about 25, began their open and honest conversation about the challenges of raising an autistic child and growing up with autism.  

Catherine, having previously used a fictional character as a layer of protection to write about autism in her debut Truestory, presented her new, auto-biographical book, Hold Fast: Motherhood, my autistic daughter and me. She described the injustices experienced by neurodivergent children at school, her parenting regrets and the positives: autistic joy.  

Uniquely, the mother-daughter relationship was candidly displayed on stage. They took turns to interview each other, with Nina interjecting with some cutting honesty. At one point she interrupted Catherine, who was speaking from the point of view of neurotypical experience, with “Mum, I hate to break it to you, but you’re not neurotypical”, winning a chuckle from the audience.  

We had the privilege of hearing not only the author’s experience, which Catherine acknowledged was only one side of the story, but also from Nina, whom the book is about. Nina has also been inspired to write her own version of events and get some things straight (watch this space!).  

Hand holding book titled: Hold Fast: Motherhood, my autistic daughter and me by Catherine Simpson. Other books by authors from the festival are in the background.
Image by Poppy Gribble

The unique set-up allowed the audience to connect with Catherine and Nina, and provoked a discussion, in which parents of neurodivergent children felt safe to share their anxieties and parenting experiences.  

Representation of neurodivergence in books 

Catherine and Nina presented many questions about the representation of neurodivergent voices in writing. We seem to be increasingly aware of how autism and ADHD present themselves, but how often do we hear the first-hand experience?  

Personally, I’ve come away examining how many neurodivergent voices appear in my reading, whether that’s fiction or non-fiction. Whilst autistic characters may crop up often in fiction (either explicitly or inexplicitly), Catherine and Nina reminded me that we may only be getting a very limited picture.

Listening to Nina, I began to question my own prejudices, which could be a result of highly stereotyped neurodivergence in media. Perhaps we, as readers, have been subject to a more negative representation of autism. This discussion has really highlighted the need to think critically when consuming books with autistic characters and ask questions such as: is this a fair representation?  

It is to Portobello Book Festival’s credit that they elevated Catherine and Nina’s voices, giving autism a platform. Catherine hopes that “this book encourages understanding of difference” (Simpson, 2025).  

Hold Fast highlights the neurodiverse story and the importance of reading different perspectives. Thanks to Catherine and Nina for letting the audience and their readers into such a personal and inspiring story.

Nina is stood on the left. She is wearing vibrant, colourful clothes and has bright pink hair. Catherine is stood next to her and is wearing black and white. Catherine is holding her book, Hold Fast, in front of them.
Image by Portobello Book Festival

Bibliography

Simpson , C. (2025). Hold Fast: Motherhood, my autistic daughter and me – guest post by Catherine Simpson. [online] Saraband. Available at: https://saraband.net/2025/08/01/hold-fast-motherhood-my-autistic-daughter-and-me-guest-post-by-catherine-simpson/ [Accessed 17 Oct. 2025].

Simpson, C & Mega, N. (2025). Portobello Book Festival. Hold Fast. [panel]. 05/10/2025. Portobello Library, Edinburgh.